Clairview

 10 - 11 March 2025

Having successfully negotiated some very wet roads leaving Moore Park, we were unsure again about our next destination. We had flagged a farmstay just south of Rockhampton as a possibility so that Mick could go in search of an elusive Chat on the Port Alma access road so set the GPS and set off again.

We stopped in Miriam Vale and had lunch then continued on. We stopped again in Mount Larcom where I called ahead to check they had availability but didn't book as there was still a lot of rain about. We decided to drive out along the Port Alma access road to assess whether we would be able to get to the likely spots - and we had to turn around as the road was flooded. Lucky we hadn't booked the farmstay.

We decided to press on, and after refuelling in Rockhampton, figured we could make it to Clairview. We'd stayed there in a cabin a number of years ago and weren't really impressed but there aren't may options so we thought we'd give it another try.

We arrived and checked in - opting for an unpowered site. The sky was clear so we were hopeful we could at least get the canvas dry overnight. We were able to select our own site and ended up with a great view of the beach with no-one nearby. There were heaps of caravans crammed in to the ocean-front powered sites, but only a few in the expansive unpowered section. Staying in this part of the caravan park we were starting to see why so many people love the place.

We enjoyed a walk along the beach
to the creek mouth

After a breezy, dry night we packed up before an incoming shower of rain arrived and then went for a walk along the beach, and a good look for birds as well. We headed off and stopped in Sarina for a free cuppa at the Visitor Information Centre where we made up our minds to stay at Mackay for the next couple of days.

Moore Park Beach

 8 - 10 March 2025

We waited anxiously, with everyone else in South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales, to see what Tropical Cyclone Alfred would do. By Saturday morning, the cyclone was downgraded to a Tropical Low and was impacting areas from the Sunshine Coast to Coffs Harbour with heavy rainfall and damaging winds. It was time to go north and away from the area, and hopefully, to some better weather.

We left Chinchilla with a bit of a plan - maybe Childers or Moore Park Beach. Along the way we stopped for a cuppa at Proston and then continued on. We stopped for lunch at Ban Ban Springs and then made the decision to go to Moore Park Beach. There was rain forecast, but there was everywhere anyway.

After picking up some supplies in Gin Gin, we booked a site at and made our way to Moore Park Beach for two nights, maybe three, depending on the weather. We were given a nice site just back from the beach. We walked on the beach and explored the nearby "Duckpond". Mick was pleased to see a few new birds for the trip. There was a bit of rain overnight, but nothing to worry about. 

The weather was good when we arrived
but soon turned nasty

We spent the morning again walking along the beach and the checking out the pond, when the weather forecast turned nasty - potential severe thunderstorms. We managed to stay mostly out of the rain during the afternoon but our plan to walk to the local Bowling Club for dinner turned into a short drive there. It was raining quite heavily when we returned, but still not too drastic.

During the night, however, the storm raged - and the wind blew the rain straight at the side of the trailer tent. We didn't realise at the time, but it was so strong that water was coming in through the window zippers. We woke, after a somewhat sleepless night, to water all through the inside of the camper and all we could do was lay down towels to try to soak some of it up, as it was still raining heavily. We knew we would have to pack up and leave for somewhere drier and fortunately there was a short break in the weather during which we readied ourselves to leave.

We had received an email from the park management regarding possible flooding on the road to Bundaberg, but weren't sure what that meant to us as we were heading north. We called into the office and a fellow camper who had left a about 1/2 hour before us had called to say she had driven through without any issue. We hoped that it would be the same for us as, if the road was flooded, the was no other way out.

There was heaps of water around, with many spots where there was water across part of the road, so we took it easy. There was one creek causeway that had water over it, but it was only a few centimetres deep, so still safe to cross. We made it into Gin Gin without incident and stopped to shop again before going north along the Bruce Highway.

Chinchilla

 6 - 8 March 2025

We had an early start at Myall Park Botanic Gardens so Mick could have a session at the bird hide before we set off again. Once more we checked the BoM app for the progress of Cyclone Alfred and confirmed our decision to stay at Chinchilla. There would probably be some rain, but nothing too drastic.

After a rest stop and cuppa in Condamine we continued on to Rubern Lagoons in Chinchilla - a place we had stayed at before, and enjoyed the bush like setting on the lagoon. We took the same sit as we had last time which meant we were looking towards the bush instead of a neighbour's caravan. 

Our site had a great outlook

We took the time to do a couple of jobs and to get a couple of loads of washing done before the rain set in. Late in the afternoon there was a very heavy, windy downpour and then a few lighter showers but not the massive deluges that were beginning to occur in the SE corner as the cyclone approached.

We did some shopping and were surprised to see empty shelves this far from the expected cyclone impact zone. There was no fresh fruit or vegetables, no chicken, no milk - fresh or UHT, no bottled water - it seems panic buying is still alive and kicking.

We packed up on Saturday morning still not sure where we would end up - maybe Childers or Moore Park Beach.

Myall Park Botanic Gardens

 5 - 6 March 2025

We left Armidale with the GPS set for Goondiwindi - back into Queensland. Our first stop was in Guyra for morning tea and a look around. We bought sandwiches, something we rarely do, but aware that it could be a hot, wet, windy day so a ready made lunch would make things easier. On the way to Inverell we made a brief stop at a lagoon at Gilgai that Mick had visited with birding friend Ian.

We made it to Inverell in time for lunch in the park then set off towards the Queensland border - and a change of time zones. We'd gain an hour leaving daylight savings behind. When we arrived in Goondiwindi it was only 1:00pm and 35 degrees so we made a quick decision to keep on travelling - perhaps to Miles or Chinchilla. 

Mick drove for a while and I had another look at the map and realised it wouldn't be much of a detour to go back to Myall Park Botanic Gardens for a night. This lovely spot has a bird hide, and we'd arrive late enough that the heat would have started to wane. We called ahead and were pleasantly surprised when we arrived to find we were the only ones camped there, or maybe we were the only ones silly enough to be camping in this weather.

A well-earned drink after a long day

We did a quick set up - no awning - and Mick headed off to the bird hide until dusk. He enjoyed the session while I enjoyed the peace and quiet. He returned the next morning and then we packed up ready to move on to Chinchilla.

Armidale

 3 - 5 March 2025

Having studied the weather forecasts associated with Cyclone Alfred we felt the best thing to do was to head inland. We chose Armidale because there wasn't much rain to come and it would allow us to return to the coast easily if the weather system petered out. We drove towards Port Macquarie - another spot we would have like to stay at - and then headed up into the hills through Wauchope and Walcha and on to the New England Tableland.

We stopped in Walcha to book ahead in Armidale and saw that the forecast had changed and that there was the possibility of some serious rain there too. We'd just have to deal with it when it happened. We arrived at the caravan park and were able to select our own site. We chose one adjacent to amentities and camp kitchen. We spent some time trying to locate a repairer for the broken zip, and in desperation Mick phoned Janke, in Victoria, who replaced the zip for us last time. As luck would have it, her former boss is located near Coffs Harbour. She made contact with him and we arranged to take the trailer down to him on Wednesday morning so he could replace the slider. 

There was a bit of rain in the evening and also through the night, and the new forecast had us very nervous about driving down the Waterfall Way the next day. We called Ray and arranged to go down straight away so packed up and headed off for the 2½ hour drive.

Limited visibility on Waterfall Way

There was quite a bit of rain on the way and we resigned ourselves to having to deal with wet canvas if it meant we could use the zip again. We arrived at Ray's around 1:00pm and set up the trailer while the rain held off. We didn't set up the awning but held it up when the rain started again, while Ray worked on replacing the slider. Once the job was done we packed up ready to head off back up the hill to Armidale.

Before we had left in the morning we had asked about booking into a cabin on our return as we knew we  would be worn out, and it could be quite late. Before heading back we called to confirm that we would like the cabin, and were very glad we did. We arrived back in Armidale at around 5:00pm after a  huge day and relaxed for the night without worrying about wind, rain or wet canvas.

Once again we consulted the BoM before deciding that we needed to continue our journey inland, perhaps to Goondiwindi. The cyclone was looking like it might actually cross the coast in South East Queensland, a very rare occurrence, and that would cause flooding on the New South Wales north coast. Reluctantly, we had to abandon our plans to spend time in that part of the country. 

Harrington

 2 - 3 March 2025

We left Old Bar and drove on to Harrington to stay for one night, so Mick could go out looking for the South Island pied oyster catcher again. We arrived before lunch and set up under a nice shady tree. Late in the afternoon Mick went out with the camera - but once again he had no luck.

Harrington is at the mouth of Manning River

We were watching the development of the cyclone and decided that we would just stay one night in Harrington, then move inland to Armidale so we could still come back to the coast once the weather passed. Of course it rained overnight so we had to pack up the trailer wet - but at least we managed to do it between passing showers.

By the time we left, the forecast was for some very heavy rain even in Armidale, and it looked like there could be some significant flooding ahead for the Northern Rivers region - right where we wanted to spend some time. We decided to go to Armidale anyway and then make up our minds. We had also tried calling some canvas repairers but were having no luck finding someone to fix the zip. 

Old Bar

 28 February - 2 March 2025

We left Fingal Bay after three lovely days with old friends and made our way north to Old Bar. There had been reports of Aleutian terns on the beach so we had to go and investigate. We checked in to the caravan park and then went in search of.

We drove to a spot a little way north then walked about 1½ kilometres up the beach to the sand spit. There were some birds about but it was very windy making it a less than pleasant outing - and, although there were terns, there was no sign of the one we were looking for.

Vehicles drive on the beach which is home to shore birds

We decided to drive up to Harrington the next morning in search of another bird - a South Island Pied Oyster Catcher. We left quite early but the sun was hot by the time we arrived at the beach - and again - no luck with the bird. Later in the afternoon we drove out to Manning Point in search of more birds, and for another walk along the beach in the wind. 

We always keep a close eye on the weather and this time we knew we had to be very careful as there was a cyclone brewing in the Coral Sea that was predicted to make a very southerly track, resulting in some rainy weather along the NSW coast. We figured we could go to Harrington for a night then we would head inland for a few days to wait it out. We had the added complication that the zip on the camper was playing up again and we were having trouble getting it done up - we'd have to try to get that fixed soon.