Cairns

 21 - 23 March 2025

North Queensland has had much more rain than is usual for a wet season and Townsville and Ingham seem to have received most of it. We waited anxiously for the Bruce Highway north of Ingham to reopen and set off as soon as we could. We were aware that with even a small amount of extra rain the road could be closed again.

We decided to scrap our plans to stay at Mission Beach as they were in for a heap of rain too, and instead headed straight for Cairns. We made it through Ingham and could see that the water was only just below the level of the road when we passed the Seymour River which flows into the Hinchinbrook Channel from the Herbert River. There was so much water around!

We stopped in Cardwell for lunch as has become our tradition and then continued on to Cairns. This time we chose a caravan park quite close to The Esplanade so Mick could get down to do some birding. Although we thought about heading to his favourite birding spot as soon as we were set up, it was getting quite late, and we were both exhausted after a long and busy day.

Blue skies at last - for a short while anyway

We did managed to get to a few spots for some bird photography the following day, including the Cairns Cemetery, which was only a block away, as well as the Botanic Gardens and, of course, The Esplanade. We revisited The Esplanade on Sunday morning before returning to the Caravan Park to pack up and finally make our way to the Atherton Tablelands.

Townsville - Mick and Laurie's

 20 - 21 March 2025

After 4 rainy days at Airlie Beach, it was finally dry enough to pack up and move on. As Mick was winding up the campper, he noticed the winch strap had almost torn through so that was another repair we would have to get done. We were headed to Townsville so were hopeful we could get that done, and also get some of the pinchweld needed to reseal the storage hatch.

Caravan park in Airlie Beach was so green

Townsville, and other parts of North Queensland had experienced another massive downpour of rain - over 200mm - so we were glad we had stayed further south for a few days - but there was more to come, and the Bruce Highway was closed north of Ingham, again. We drove from Airlie Beach and stopped in Bowen for lunch where it was just starting to rain. 

We continued on to Townsville and went straight to Clark Rubber to get the seal, then on to Mick and Laurie's. We had driven through some very heavy rain, but it had eased off by the time we reached our destination. Not long after arriving and getting settled, the rain bucketed down again and continued through most of the night. We were very grateful to be staying with friends and not camping in that weather.

On Friday morning, we checked and the road was still closed so we set about finding someone to repair the winch strap. I took the strap to Beehive Canvas who had said they would be able to do it straight away. The job only took a few minutes and they only charged a few dollars. Getting that job done meant we could get back on the road as soon as we were able. While I was out Mick replaced the seal, and I visited friends Wendy and Jay. While I was on the way to their place, I heard on the radio that the highway had reopened.

Back at Mick and Laurie's we had morning tea, packed up and said our farewells. We decided we'd go straight to Cairns as we were getting close to the time we had arranged to meet the people we would be house sitting for in April. 

Airlie Beach

 16 - 20 March 2025

We drove down from Eungella and stopped in Proserpine briefly before heading to Airlie Beach. Fortunately there was no rain around when we arrived so we were able to set about drying everything off again. We had more water in under the bed which Mick suspected was due to a seal on the side hatch not working as it should. Once again we pulled everything out and hung things up to dry. 

The rain held off for a while, but there was lots more forecast. We still had an old side wall / wind break from a car awning we used to have so we rigged it up to provide some extra protection on that side of the camper, while relying on the awning on the other. We crossed our fingers and hoped it would work.

We had a couple of days without too much rain and we were able to get out and do some shopping and to also go for a walk along the beach - with some birding added in for interest. We drove to Shute Harbour but moved on when we realised we would have to pay to park - even just to have a short stop at the lookout. We called in to a short walk in the rainforest in Conway National Park but didn't get far due to the very boggy track.

More grey skies

Most of the rain fell overnight, but that meant the canvas would be wet when we packed up if we stayed the three days we had planned, so we decided to watch the weather and make up our minds on a day by day basis. The caravan park staff were very happy to accommodate our needs, we just needed to them know by midday if we intended to stay. We booked an extra night and hoped for the best as the forecast suggested Thursday might not be too wet.

There was very little rain overnight on Wednesday and the sun was trying to poke through the clouds on Thursday morning. We did a bit of organising, and by morning tea time, the canvas was dry enough to be able to start packing up. We left Airlie Beach around 11:00 and started the journey to Townsville where we had arranged to spend the night with friends.

Eungella National Park - Broken River Bush Camp

 13 - 16 March 2025

We knew there was rain forecast for Eungella - but it is in the rainforest so we figured that would be part of the adventure. The sky was overcast but there was no rain until we stopped at Finch Hatton to pick up some milk. Milk had been hard to get since Tropical Cyclone wreaked havoc further south, but we didn't expect there to be none in Mackay supermarkets. Thankfully, the small general store in the Pioneer Valley had plenty.

It started to rain while we were stopped and continued all the way up the range to Eungella. It was still raining when we set the camper trailer up. We were very thankful to have a couple of good raincoats! We set up as best we could and settled in to enjoy the view of the creek at the rear of the campsite. Broken River is well known for platypus and we were hoping to get to see some, but we were really there for the birds.

Our home  for three nights

Because of the almost constant drizzle, we didn't do as much walking in the forest as we had hoped. We did manage to get out to the various platypus viewing spots a number of times between showers and were well rewarded. We also visited the cafe adjacent to the National Park office for morning tea. 

We saw at least one platypus!

On Friday afternoon we went for a drive down Dalrymple Road to a well-known spot where Eungella honeyeaters are found - and were in luck. The sky was grey, and there was some rain, but Mick did manage to get some photos. We rewarded ourselves with a drink at The Chalet - the local pub which had great views down through the valley.

Friday drinks with a view

On Saturday morning we went for another drive in search of birds - this time on the Crediton Loop Road. This one wasn't quite as successful, but helped to pass the time. There is no phone or internet reception at the campground so we drove up to Sky Window - a lookout - a couple of times each day to check the weather (hoping the forecast had miraculously changed - it hadn't). 

While we were at Eungella we had success with trapping our mouse. The first night, he took the bait and got stuck in the little house but managed to escape while Mick was trying to work out if he was in there! We set the trap again the next night, and I picked it up in the morning. I could feel that it was warm so we took it with us a long way from camp and released him in the bush. Hopefully there was only one - only time will tell.

We had no choice on our last morning than to pack up while everything was still wet. We managed to get the bulk done between showers of rain, before setting off back down the range to Airlie Beach - where there was the promise of even more rain!

Mackay - Blacks Beach

11 - 13 March 2025

We had stopped in Sarina and booked a couple of nights in Mackay at Blacks Beach and were looking forward to another nice beachside spot. Although there was rain forecast the sky was clear when we arrived and I was able to get some washing done. We had also discovered that water had managed to get in under the bed again so we had to take everything out and dry it off. We figured it must have been when we were caught in the really heavy, driving rain at Moore Park Beach.

We could see more rain out to sea

The weather was hot, and there were a couple of showers of rain but otherwise we enjoyed a fairly relaxing stay which included a number of dips in the pool at the caravan park. We walked along the beach a couple of times as well. We also went shopping for the next few days which would be spent at Eungella, camping in the national park.

We had suspected for some time - as far back as the NSW south coast - that we might have had a mouse in the camper trailer. We had bought traps and left them for a few days with no result so decided that we must have been mistaken. We discovered that our mouse had managed to get into the car and was happily feasting on packaged pantry items! We set more traps and the sneaky little thing was able to eat the peanut butter without setting of the trap. After purchasing some new plastic containers to secure the few packaged items we had left, we planned to stop at Bunnings on the way out of Mackay and buy some different traps - the ones that catch the mouse in a little house.

The day we packed up to drive up to Eungella the weather forecast was for rain - and quite a lot over the next few days, but we were committed so headed off anyway, stopping to pick up some more mouse traps - hopefully ones that would outsmart our hungry passenger.

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.