Our First Christmas by Ourselves

After many years of having Christmas lunch with family and friends, this is the first time that we are celebrating the occasion by ourselves (and the doggies of course).

The Town of 1770, Qld

The Town Of 1770 and Agnes Water are very pretty seaside villages which are located approximately 126 klms north of Bundaberg. The area is rich in wildlife and natural beauty and offers scenic vistas in every direction. The area is also known for its great fishing.
It would have been a great place to stay, but unfortunately we could not find a dog friendly caravan park, so we could only make a day visit to the area.

Bundaberg Rum Distillery, Bundaberg, Qld

While staying at Bundaberg, we decided to the ‘must do’ guided tour of the Bundaberg Rum Distillery where we were able to look, feel and taste our way through the rum production progress. Starting with the raw material molasses, to the aromas of maturing spirit, we eventually made our way back to the bar for a tasting of refreshing samples with a variety of Bundy mixes and Rum liqueur based drinks.
Rani also indulged herself by purchasing a very nice Bundy base ball cap.

Fishing at Yeppoon, Qld

While camping at Kinka Beach (near Yeppoon), we heard about this great fishing spot, so we spent the morning fishing and cought several fish along with this little beauty (a Mangrove Jack), which we will have for dinner tonight.

Broken River, Eungella (near Mackay, Qld)

A great spot to visit and explore the state (rain) forest and see many varied flora and fauna.

Airlie Beach & Shute Harbour, Whitsundays, Qld

Airlie Beach/Whitsundays area is a pretty place, with attractive parkland and two excellent marinas - Abel Point Marina and Shute Harbour. It is certainly a beautiful area to visit for a holiday. There are many activities to keep the tourist/back packers occupied for the duration of their stay. There are many shops, pubs and restaurants (and some great ice cream shops) to visit and spend you’re hard earned dollars. Airlie Beach is also a great base from which to explore and sail around the Whitsundays, with many sailing and motorised trips available out to the Great Barrier Reef for snorkelling or diving. It’s certainly one of our favourite spots so far.

Sailing the Whitsundays, Qld

We had a great day out aboard an 85 feet sailing catamaran called Camiera. We sailed around the Whitsunday Islands with Whitehaven Beach being the main destination. Once we arrived, it was time to have a relaxing swim and take an enjoyable walk along the beach. From there we sailed to one of the islands where we did some snorkelling. Overall we had a great experience.

The Big Mango, Bowen, Qld

On our way down to Airlie Beach, we stopped at Aye for a Barramundi fish lunch and then made another stop to have a look at the Big Mango for a mango icecream dessert.

Magnetic Island, Qld

Magnetic Island is located approximately 8 kms north east off the coast of Townsville. The Forts is probably the most popular attraction for tourists to Magnetic Island. Located high on a hill overseeing Horseshoe, Arthur, Florence and Radical Bays, the walk to the WWII command post is a popular place to take in a number of views over the surrounding bays and ocean. There are also two gun emplacements and an observation post to see while in the facility. The command post provides an exceptional 360-degree view of the surrounding bays out to the ocean. To get around we hired a Mini Moke for the day.

Townsville, Qld

The trip from Mission Beach to Townsville was scenically very interesting. Very large areas full of sugar cane plantations and lots of lush green vegetation. Once we hit the Townsville area (or Brownsville as Cairns people call it) it all changed. We actually found Townsville quite boring with quite a number of empty shops in the main street. However there was plenty of great restaurants and pubs to visit in The Strand area, which is located near the beach.

Paronella Park, Mena Creek, Qld

Paronella Park is a charming place nestled amongst heritage gardens and 13 acres of lush Australian rainforest situated on the banks of the crystal clear waters of Mena Creek, south of Innisfail. The ruins of the Spanish mansion feature prominently on the grounds of Paronella Park, as do several other distinctive structures that were designed and built by the original Spanish immigrant of Paronella Park – Jose Paronella in the 1930s. Visitors can explore the beautiful gardens via a series of winding paths and bridges that snake through the forest and castle ruins. Well worth the visit.

Mission Beach, Qld

Mission Beach proved to be a very pleasant place to stay for a few days. Great beach walks and the water in the pool and sea was a very warm 28.5 degrees.

Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, Karunda, Qld

We boarded the Skyrail in Kuranda and made our way over tropical rainforest to our destination at the Caravonica Terminal near Smithfield. The Skyrail spans 7.5kms over pristine tropical rainforest. Gliding a few metres above the tropical rainforest canopy in a comfortable gondola cabin, we relaxed and enjoyed the stunning tropical rainforest scenery, panoramic views of the Cairns’ tropical region and the glittering waters of the Coral Sea. There are two rainforest mid-stations, Red Peak and Barron Falls, where we explored the amazing environment from the forest floor on boardwalks where we able to view scenic look-outs over the Barron Falls.

Kuranda & surrounding areas, Qld

The Kuranda Scenic Railway trip provides wonderful opportunities to see some dramatic landscapes, waterfalls and undertake jungle walks.