Homeward Bound – Part 2

gomezhome ♦ 10/07/2022 ♦ 2 Comments

After Noosa North Shore, we went to Scarness Beach. It was only around $67 for 3 nights, but with no power. A real test for our solar panels and batteries. Especially as clouds and rain were forecast.

We were on the beach front again and it was beautiful. Australia must have 1000’s of beautiful beaches! We caught a magnificent sunset one night.

Scarness is near to Hervey Bay – about 200km north of the Sunshine Coast – and allowed us to do a day trip to “Remote Fraser Island”. We went with Tasman Tours.

Fraser Island (K’gari in the indigenous language)

Is the largest sand island in the world. It is about 120 km (75 miles) long and 25 km (15 miles) at its widest point. We got picked up from our caravan park at 7.15 am and taken to the catamaran we were doing the crossing in. It took about 30 minutes and the water was pretty flat.

K’gari means Paradise – and you can see why. It is beautiful and unspoilt. The sand is soft and almost white and the ocean a turquoise colour.

We beached at Bowarrady Creek in a vehicle called Sealegs. A sort of rubber inflatable with wheels on legs, both front and back. When we got to shore the wheels were lowered and a different engine used to power them. Very clever.

Even the “rock” on K’gari is made of sand. It’s called coffee rock. It is sand compacted with an organic matter. If you get a small piece of it (which looks like ground coffee), you can squash it to tiny pieces.

To start, we climbed a steep, high sand dune. It was like training for the SAS! Puffing and panting we got to the top though. The photos don’t do it justice.

We walked along the beach and a creek – so many beautiful shells.

Got back on Sealegs to go to the catamaran for some snorkelling. I put on a wetsuit and got into the ocean, had a quick look at the fish and got out again. The water was cool, in a cold way!

Then it was back to the shore, Awinya Creek, for some kayaking. It was fun in a double kayak. As we go up the creek, the water is no longer salty but clear, fresh and drinkable.

Back to the catamaran for a delicious lunch. Then onto our final stop, Wathumba Creek, where we could kayak in the ocean or just explore. We chose the latter as we were well and truly tired! Then someone spotted a whale spouting, on the horizon. It was all back to the cat to try and find the whale.

After a couple of false starts, one of the crew spotted two whales! What a wonderful sight! That really made our day.

Back to shore and our caravan park. And, yes, despite two cloudy days and a bit of rain, the solar panels, batteries and fridge worked remarkably well. Big tick.

Next morning, Thursday, 30th June, we turned south again and started heading home (4,732 km to go), but to the Gold Coast first for three days with family.

Leaving the Family

It was hard to leave the family. They have been the icing on the cake for our travels. We have loved spending time with them.

On Saturday we had the two big grandies all afternoon. On Sunday, another play date in the afternoon. Then dinner with all of us at Zambrero’s, to celebrate the kids’ birthdays early. Back to Tank for chocolate cupcakes and presents. Monday morning after breakfast, it was a final quick playtime in Tank – when the kids wanted a snack plate, of course. Then goodbyes. We’re going to miss them all. 😢

Until next time…