DAY 1 | This was the trip that became a last minute plan. We had every intention of going to the United States for 3 weeks but my beautiful Mother got very ill and while nursing her we cancelled those plans. She passed away after a short time and two weeks after her passing we still had our three weeks holiday available. After much talking and the need to just get away to have time to reflect and rest, we decided to just throw the swag in the back of the Nancy Navara and head north. We both love camping but if we need to we knew we could do some glamping too. We are so lucky living in Australia we have so many choices but for us, North Queensland is 'just up the road'.
As we are explorers, we have everything we need in the garage and it is just a case of piling it all into the car to head off on an adventure. In our garage we have tubs/containers that we keep our camping gear, so when we want to head off it's just a case of piling them into the car.
I had not been to Far North Queensland for over 15 years and Anthony [being from Tasmania] has not really explored the area. So it became a trip that we planned and we went along.
Our first idea was just to travel up the north coast and just stopping for overnighters until we got to Townsville. We left around lunch time...heading off after work and drove 4 hours north to Clairview and set up camp! Stayed at Barracrab Caravan Park! Basic facilities but beachfront camping, magic views!! Evening at their bush bar with great food!! Great start to our exploring!! With the swag if the evening is warm enough you can go to sleep staring at the stars and listening to the ocean - perfect!
D A Y 2 | We woke to a beautiful morning and had breakfast watching the sun rise over the ocean. The day was gorgeous. We packed up camp - a 30 minute job and hit the road. We always have a look around at the towns we stay in. Clairview is a very small coastal spot with not many houses. It is a great place to stay to launch a boat and head out fishing.
Time to hit the Bruce Highway again and after a 4 hour drive we arrived in Airlie Beach around lunch time!! We are lucky to have family live here so no swagging while we here!! Lunchtime spent at the fabulous foreshore lunching on fresh prawns off the trawler...😍. Afternoon was family time catch up!! Great day!!
D A Y 3 | Today was spent exploring around Airlie Beach! We started the day by heading out along the road to Proserpine and taking the turn to Conway Beach. Before getting there it was a quick look at Cedar Creek Falls. Nice little spot but with a lack of rain at this time of the year the falls were not flowing! But still worth a look!
Then we headed down to Conway Beach. This was a great secluded beach but the best find is the cafe...Diner at the local caravan park. George’s Diner is 60’s retro vibe! It’s very cool!! We had the added bonus of a vintage car rally going on. Anthony was Gaga over the cars! Conway Beach itself is a lovely secluded beach.
After lunch it was a drive down to Shute Harbour. It has been devastated by Cyclone Debbie and is still awaiting the rebuild. I is strange to see the devastation with such beauty in the background. In the arvo we went for an 8k walk along the Airlie to Cannonvale pathway. The distance is not realised due to the beautiful view and the chat about what can be seen!
There are so many great cafes and eateries to try....and for all you young ones....lots of nightlife! You can spend a week here just at Airlie Beach, it is the gateway to the Whitsunday Islands but for this trip we did not head out that way.