Caravanning Camping Touring
Let me share some of our stories with you. I'll try to keep it fun and interesting, with heaps of photos, hints, tips and reviews all relating to life on the road.
| Location | Esk, QLD |
| Month visited | September |
| Address | 16 Hassall Street |
A lovely caravan park in a lovely little town.
| AMENITIES | COMMENTS |
| Entry & Exit | Easy access. Staff take you to your site and guide you in. Our spot was a bit tricky to get out of, but most seemed ok. |
| Showers & Toilets | Very clean & well maintained. Ample hot water and good water pressure. |
| Laundry | Well maintained with goo clean equipment |
| Camp Kitchen | Everything you could wish for, including large undercover area, with pull down screens for bad weather and pub style bench tables and stools around the perimeter. when the screens are up, you can sit there and enjoy the gardens. |
| BBQ area | Yes, well maintained and used |
| Pool | A good sized heated pool, lovely and clean |
| Ground Covering | Mostly grass with concrete slab. Bindi free. |
| Water | Good to drink |
| Dump Point | Easily accessible and clean |
| Grey Waste Outlet | Spread your grey waste around the grass and garden beds |
| Pet Friendly | Yes, but no off lead dog area |
| Wi-Fi & Phone Reception | Yes to both and good coverage to both. |
Summary
What a lovely place to visit. Super clean, super friendly and super green. Esk is a lovely little town to visit with access to the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail. This is on our “Definite will return” list.
Sadly, we had to leave Hervey Bay, sadder even still, we have to head home. Some unexpected admin stuff to take care of. But that’s ok. We will call into Caravan World on the way home to fix a couple of small issues, do what we must do at home, then head on out again.
We refueled at the Puma on Walker St in Maryborough on the way out. I only mention this because it was easy to enter and exit with the van on tow and because we are such seasoned travelers, we know this is an important issue. No one wants to peel off the top of their van when driving into a fuel station.
We didn’t know where we would be spending the night, but we ended up at a free camp at Ban Ban Springs, on the way to Gayndah. It rained off and on, and the wind picked up on occasion, but that did not spoil the relaxing atmosphere.
We even got the chance to use our bikes. The road was rough, and I mean rough, cycling over gravel and corrugation is not fun on the bum, but…we enjoyed it.
After a light lunch, a couple of beers and an evening stroll, we settled down for the night. Let’s see where we end up tomorrow night.
| Location | Hervey Bay, QLD |
| Month visited | August |
| Address | 26 Corser St, Point Vernon |
Away from the main tourist area, quiet relaxed and close to the beach.
| AMENITIES | COMMENTS |
| Entry & Exit | One way driving, ample space to maneuver |
| Showers & Toilets | Plenty of hot water, with great water pressure. Cleaned regularly and in good condition. |
| Laundry | Good facilities with plenty of washing lines |
| Camp Kitchen | Looked good, we didn’t use it but many others did |
| BBQ area | Yes |
| Pool | Good temp and nice and clean. |
| Ground Covering | Nice grass and concrete slab. No bindi’s! |
| Water | Very nice drinking water |
| Dump Point | Easily accessible and clean |
| Grey Waste Outlet | Drop your hose straight into a concrete drain. |
| Pet Friendly | Yes, but no off lead dog area |
| Wi-Fi & Phone Reception | Yes to both and good coverage to both. |
Summary
We enjoyed our stay here. It was very quiet and you had to drive if you wanted to go to the pubs, cafes etc, but it is a short 3 minute walk to the waterfront from here.
The staff were friendly and the park was very well maintained. A great spot for an extended stay, you’ll need time to to explore & enjoy Hervey Bay.
We give the BIG4 Point Vernon Holiday Park a 3.5 van rating, and we will be back.
We made it to Hervey Bay without major incident, or any other minor incidents for that matter. We stayed at the Big4 Caravan Park at Point Vernon for seven nights, and simply chilled.
Because this was just a shakedown trip we took the time to test all of the appliances in the van. The gas oven seemed a bit reluctant to cook anything, but other than that, all was good. However, we do have a good number of issues with the van, so for a full review of the Goodlife Tourer, click here. (TBA)
Of course, we also had plenty of time to explore Hervey Bay. It is a lot bigger than I thought, the locals all seemed friendly, there is everything here you could possibly need and the coastline is beautiful.
So what did we do? We walked along the beaches, scrambled over the rocks around Point Vernon and basically soaked up the relaxed atmosphere that seems to envelope Hervey Bay.
On a side note, while we were there we checked out Latitude25, an RV based gated community. Like any lifestyle village it has great facilities, community hall, pool, tennis courts an impressive health hub, but more importantly each house comes with a huge, and I mean huge garage. The largest of these will fit any size caravan plus two large cars, I kid you not. A nice place to live? Maybe in a year or ten, we have a lot of travelling to do before then.
| Location | Goomeri, QLD |
| Month visited | August |
| Length of stay allowed | 48 Hours |
Large grassy area with views towards the wetlands. Close to a quiet main road, and very little traffic at night.
| AMENITIES | COMMENTS | |
| Ease of Access | Very easy, even for a novice | |
| Yes | Showers | Clean and functional |
| Yes | Toilets | Clean and functional |
| Yes | Rubbish Bins | Council bins on main road |
| No | Shade | There are no shade trees in this area |
| Ground Covering | Mostly level grass, a few patches of dirt. | |
| Yes | Shops Near by | Small Cafe, butcher & post office |
| Yes | Pub Near by | An easy stagger away |
| Yes | Pet Friendly | With plenty of space to run around. |
Summary
This site is close to the highway, but it is not overly busy and carries little to no traffic through the night. The Kilkivan to Kingaroy Rail Trail runs through here offering ample cycling/walking tracks. There is also a Bird Hide about 500 meters from the CWA hall which overlooks the wetlands but depending on the time of year, there may be little or no water. Even so it is a very pleasant walk.
This is a great little spot for a break in your travels but could be extremely hot in the summer months.
We give Wooroolin Rest Area a 2 van rating, and will be back
| Location | South of the junction of the Burnett and Isis Highways |
| Month visited | August |
| Length of stay allowed | 24 Hours |
Just off the Burnett highway, there was a bit of road noise but that eased off at night
| | AMENITIES | COMMENTS |
| Ease of Access | Very easy | |
| No | Showers | |
| Yes | Toilets | Depending or where you park they are close or far. |
| No | Dump Point | |
| No | Water | |
| Yes | Rubbish Bins | There are a few |
| Yes | Shade | There is some good shade but you need to pick your spot |
| Ground Covering | Bitchumen and gravel | |
| Yes | Shops Near by | Burnett Roadhouse on the other side of the highway |
| No | Pub Near by | |
| Yes | Pet Friendly | On lead |
Summary
This is a good overnight spot. Not a lot to do, but far enough off the road to give privacy from passing vehicles. When you turn into the area you can choose to go left, this is all bitumen and close to the toilets, or right to a smaller area with more privacy and, in my opinion, a much more pleasant spot.
We give Ban Ban Springs a 3 van rating, and will be back
