Home » Australia » Endless beaches

So we left the hot and humid but beautiful Whitsunday Islands and decided that it was time to head back south to cooler climates. After nearly running out of petrol it was soon time to camp - still using broken tent and pole - held together with masking tape! An OK campsite was found but with noisy parrots we were up at the crack of dawn and combined with a swim in an icy swimming pool we were soon ready to be off.

Endless beaches

James and Anne Walkington
2006-08-08 19:31:38

Displayed times (last time: )

So we left the hot and humid but beautiful Whitsunday Islands and decided that it was time to head back south to cooler climates. After nearly running out of petrol it was soon time to camp - still using broken tent and pole - held together with masking tape! An OK campsite was found but with noisy parrots we were up at the crack of dawn and combined with a swim in an icy swimming pool we were soon ready to be off.

Our plan was to drive to the Eungella National Park to seek out the elusive platypus. On route we stopped at Illawong Fauna Park where Anne was mauled (in a non sexual way) by a wallaby, emu and kangaroo. We were given bean feed for the kangaroos and wallabies which sent them loopy and turned them into raging boxing, scratching and biting marsupials! We also watched the big crocs being fed - Anne kept jumping back everytime the croc jumped up at the fence (it must have thought she smelled good - despite what James thinks!!). Also at the park we were introduced to some cute koala bears, dingo and turtles.

In the evening we camped in a remote
rainforest campsite half a mile from the road. As dusk fell we clambered through undergrowth and thick vines looking for the river. The smell hit us first - putrid swamp water followed by the brown sludge of Broken River. Quietly waiting - a small ripple on the waters surface caught our eye. Then the platypus emerged sifting through the mud looking for food. For a treat some freshwater turtles came swimming along to play in the silt. Following some good video footage the light failed and we hacked our way back to the tent followed by an evening meal of tuna pasta.

Our plan was to head down to a small town on the Sunshine Coast called Coolum Beach.

Two rather uneventful days of driving later (plus a day when we nearly ran of money due to another Australian Bank holiday- donations kindly accepted!!!) we arrived at the fantastic beachside town and ...