And our journey changes, reflections after a year on the road.

Faced with the prospect of heavy rain (severe thunderstorms),  access routes being cut by rising river crossings and several days waiting for things to dry out again, we held a family discussion.  We had been looking forward to heading down to Main Range National Park, but it looked as if the Park would bear the brunt of the oncoming storms.  At times like this, the resident meteorologist (aka Weather Witch) cast the deciding vote.

We took the easy option, packed up in the sun with everything dry and returned to Mama and Pa's.

All packed up

It was a time to pause for a moment as this decision would mark a turning point in our adventure to date.  

The Majestic Bunya Mountains

With Rocky sporting a new rear window, a dashing silver duco (amazing what a wash will do) and four refreshed passengers, we embarked for a few days in the Bunya Mountains, a couple of hours east of the Sunshine Coast.  It was great to be back on the road again, and we wound our way past the Glasshouse Mountains on our way to the Bunyas.  The road became steeper and signs started warning that the road ahead was unsuitable for buses, trucks and caravans - just our kind of adventure.

The hills became steeper and steeper - but thankfully we had plenty in reserve as Rocky sailed up them in second gear.  We soon had risen over 1000 metres above sea level, and paused to take in the view at Fisher's Lookout.

Bunya Mountains - On top of the world

Bunya Mountains - even Rocky made it!

Recoup, Repair and Recharge on the Sunshine Coast

We rolled off the ferry from Fraser Island with sand in every possible place - and if we thought we were bad - the car was worse.  Our garbage bag rear window was more than up for sedate trips around the island, but the highway revealed a monotonous drone - reminiscent of our days owning a soft top Jeep Wrangler.  We needed a place to stop, unpack and wash everything - and decided to return a surprise on Mama and Pa who lived just down the road.

Thankfully they were home - and graciously allowed us in.  For the next few days we appreciated luxuries such as hot running water, inside bathrooms, comfortable couches, and a library of new books to read.  Mama and Pa thoroughly spoilt us allowing us to catch up on a few other odd jobs.

How good is a couch and a new book!

The first to do was to give Rocky and Matilda a thorough wash.  They had received the special underbody wash at Rainbow Beach - which was a good start, but it was by no means sufficient.  After the wash, the Little Helpers were each armed with a can of WD-40 and sent underneath Rocky and Matilda with instructions to sqirt anything that looked like it might need it.  Two empty cans later, it seemed we were starting to get ontop of the exterior.

Fraser Island - Part 2 - The Stunning Inland

We had enjoyed our time at the beautiful camp site at Dundaburra, but it was time to venture inland and explore some more of Fraser Island.  With low water being not long after breakfast, we packed up in the morning and made our way back south on 75 Mile Beach.

One of the most stunning creeks on the east coast is Eli Creek.  Pure fresh water flows in large volumes along this sandy creek bed into the Coral Sea.  Popular with tourists we were the first car of the morning to pull up near the creek - and for a good 20 minutes had this magic piece of paradise to ourselves.

Eli Creek - delightful

We walked up the boardwark a couple of hundred meters, and entered the water.  Being the first of the morning, the creek was pristine, and jungle perch scooted out of our way as we floated down towards the mouth.  

Fraser Island - Part One - The Rugged East Coast

Fraser Island, or K'gari as it was known long before time began by the Butchulla people, is a magnificent sandy island that is nearly all world heritage listed National Park.  There are almost no sealed roads on the island, meaning the only way to get around it is by boat, or four wheel drive.  Half of the adventure is in getting here - with soft sand on the beach landing the first hurdle.  Rocky pulled us through the soft sand to the firmer stuff closer to the waters edge, and before we knew it, we were on the ferry heading on our way across to K'gari.

On the Manta Ray ferry

The easiest 'road' to drive on the island is the eastern beach.  Whilst you can drive it at high tide, the soft sand makes it heavy going.  We elected to wait until a couple of hours before low water, meaning we would easily clear Hook Point and then be able to drive up to our camp at Dundaburra, about three quarters of the way up the eastern beach towards Indian Head.  Our spirits were high as we rounded the point and started making our way north.  The sand was hard, and we cruised up comfortably at around 60km/hr, well under the signposted 80km/hr.  This is a gazetted road, and normal road rules apply, despite the challenges of surf, fishermen, creeks, washouts and swales in the sand.

The famous 75 mile beach - all hooked up and looking forward to our next few days

Due to the tides, we arrived in camp reasonably late and set up quickly.  The beautiful shaded camp-site was fenced, meaning we wouldn't have to worry about Dingos around camp.  Goannas were another story, meaning we still had to follow our usual food and rubbish pack away routine.