Krazy Kents on the Road Again

Week Sixteen: Short and Sweet

Bargara Marina

We have had what is known in the media as ‘a slow news week’. There have been no major happenings and even GK has been on his best behaviour with no incidents to report. Although he did leave the car in drive when he got out to check our caravan site in Gayndah and had to leap back in to slam on the brakes as the car and van rolled towards the embankment. He whacked his head and saw stars for a few seconds but apart from that it has been very quiet. Imagine if he hadn’t made it. I would definitely have more exciting news to relate!

After leaving Cania Gorge we travelled down ‘Australia’s Country Way’ through the townships of Biloela, Monto, Mundubbera before arriving in Gayndah where we stayed for two days. The towns have diversified from sheep and mining to citrus growing. Munduberra has a giant mandarin and Gayndah a giant orange. Tourists seem to love these ‘big’ icons like the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour and the Big Pineapple near Nambour but we think they are a bit corny and didn’t bother to jump on the bandwagon and photograph them. With hindsight maybe we should have as this week has few highlights.

One of the advantages of fruit growing in these areas is the influx of backpackers. Munduberra alone grows over 900 tons of blueberries and needs about 500 pickers in the season to pick and pack the crop. A lot of the disused buildings have been converted to accommodation for the pickers who stay and spend money in the town. This is keeping the towns afloat which is a real lifesaver. Their future is quite bleak otherwise.

The iconic Bundaberg Rum cool bear

That can’t be said about Bundaberg, which was heaving when we drove through on our way to Bargara on the coast. ‘Bundy’ as the locals refer to it is of course famous for its iconic Aussie rum. It is a thriving Central Queensland city with the perfect mix of coastline and country. We chose to escape the hustle and bustle of Bundy and stayed at a caravan park, which boasted ‘absolute beach frontage’. Unfortunately there is a huge stone seawall dividing the park from the water so there were no leisurely beach walks for us. Foiled again.

We did drive up the coast and called in at the beachside towns of Elliott Heads and Coral Cove. It was a glorious day and there were many families enjoying the beach and the grassed and shady picnic areas dotted along the coast. W.A. could really take a leaf out of Queensland’s book as they have made the most of their coastline. The beaches are very ‘user friendly’ which encourages more people to spend time and picnic, even in winter. We felt a bit nostalgic watching the families with little kids having a fantastic time at the beach as it brought back wonderful memories. Feeling sentimental. Sniff.

Glorious day at Elliott Heads

Back to reality! We are now staying at the Cheery Nomad RV and Farmstay between Maryborough and Hervey Bay. It is a family owned park and we had a terrific time last night with other ‘cheery nomads’ at the bar for Happy Hour. We met some lovely people and did what we love most – swapping yarns and stories about life on the road. All we needed was a campfire and it would have been perfect.

Whale watching is Hervey Bay's major tourist attraction

Today we went into Hervey Bay for lunch. We have visited twice before so passed on the whale watching and just mosied up and down the esplanade before doing a huge ‘shop’ as we are off to Gympie tomorrow for the Muster. We have had a massive ‘cook up’ and the freezer, fridge and pantry are bulging with food for the five days we will have ‘off road’ at the festival. We are so excited and can’t wait to travel out to Amamoor Forest for the Muster. It has been six years since we visited the country and western festival where we had an absolute ball. We hope it won’t disappoint but we are going to take advantage of everything it has to offer. We love the bush poets, boot scooting and the very best of Australia’s country singers. Yeehah! We can’t wait! We will let you know all about it next week. Lots of love xxxx