Lap of Australia  – Week 23

This week we left the Sunshine Coast to head to the Gold Coast. The clutch is being replaced on the car next week and we are keen to get back on the road again!

Day one

It was a nice, sunny day today and we were keen to do a hike! We headed to Mount Coolum to do the hike to the top and we thought that it would be reasonably quiet as it was a Monday. Not sure if there were people visiting from the other states that had a long weekend, but it was very busy and we had to park on the street. The Mount Coolum climb is a short hike, but is a steep walk to the top. The stairs to the top though were well maintained and it was a good leg burner. The views at the top were worth it though, and we enjoyed some time at the top taking in the view. We made our way back down the mountain, and got back into the car to check our Coolum Beach as it wasn’t too far away. Coolum Beach was very nice, with there being heaps of cafes and shops along the main drag. We walked along the street, then back along the beach and then decided to get back into the car to find somewhere to have lunch. We found The Boardwalk on Google Maps and drove down there to have our lunch. After lunch we went for a walk along the boardwalk, walking towards the beach to have a quick look. The boardwalk provided great views of Mount Coolum as well as access to the beach. We walked back to the car and headed back to the caravan park where we spent the afternoon having showers and not doing too much else. 

Day two

Today was our last day on the Sunshine Coast and we decided to go for a drive to check out some things in Caloundra that we missed on our last visit. Our first stop was the Caloundra Lighthouses, a heritage listed pair of lighthouses located in the middle of the suburbs. One of the lighthouses was different to what we have seen on the trip, so it was interesting to go and have a look. You can also do lighthouse tours on Saturdays when they are running them and it was well priced too for a tour. After visiting the lighthouses, we made our way to the Moffat Headland Lookout where we went for a bit of a walk and checked out Shelly Beach. It was time for lunch soon after, so we went for a short drive to Currimundi lake, where they had picnic tables to have some lunch. We decided to go for a walk first to the beach, then walked back along the beach to check out the lake foreshore. There were a few coffee shops near the lake and play equipment for kids and would be a great place to spend a sunny afternoon. After enjoying lunch in the sunshine, we went for a walk around part of the lake, before turning around and heading back to the car. We had some errands to run after that, then spent a bit of time relaxing at the caravan park. Later on that day, we headed back out and on the way back, we stopped to walk across the footbridge to Chambers Island. This small island would also be a great place to spend a sunny afternoon, with there being toilets, picnic tables and a playground. We had a quick walk around before heading back to the car and going back to the caravan park.

Day three

We were leaving Maroochydore today to head to the Gold Coast. We weren’t in any rush to leave so we packed up, then had the employees move our trailer with a tractor to the front so we could hitch up and drive. Our first stop of the day was to Lifestyle Campers where we were going to talk to them about some outstanding issues we had with the trailer and see if they could be fixed while we were in the area. Our interaction was more positive this time, and we made a plan to drop the trailer to them Monday afternoon next week, and pick it up Thursday morning when we were passing through from the Gold Coast. This would leave us without the van for a few nights, but it would give us good practice with the swag for our upcoming Cape York trip. They also offered to give us a gazebo in case it rained while we didn’t have the car. After going to Lifestyle Campers, we visited the Logan River Parklands to have some lunch, and it was nice to see the area without so much rain. After lunch, we got back on the road to head to our next caravan park. The caravan park was located on Tallebudgera Creek and you could do self check-in prior to arriving so they could send you your code and other information and you didn’t need to visit reception. After watching someone take out the wall with their caravan, we attempted to find our site and after a few turns, we got there. This caravan park was probably one of the bigger parks that we had stayed in and the map was a bit confusing. After setting up, we went to collect our new towels from the post office and went and grabbed a treat from Doughnut Time. The doughnuts were delicious but very sweet and sickly. After our snack, we went for a walk along the walking track around Tallebudgera Creek and to Tallebudgera Beach. That evening we saw an amazing sunset along the creek and we are really loving the Queensland sunsets, they are so good!

Day four

This morning we woke up and it was a bit chilly, but it looked like it was going to be a nice day. We started our morning off with a run around the creek and on a path near the beach. After getting ready for the day, we decided to go and visit nearby Burleigh Beach and go for a walk around. We went and had a look at North Burleigh Lookout. We also had a look at Miami Beach while we were in the area, then found a bench to sit and have our lunch. The weather was beautiful and it was so nice to sit outside. Because the weather was so good, we decided to go back to the caravan park and head to Tallebudgera Beach. The waves were also good so Sam got his boogie board out and caught some waves. This inspired Sam to go and have a look on Gumtree for a cheap surfboard to see if he could teach himself how to surf while we are on the trip. He found one for $20 in Burleigh Heads and planned to pick it up the next day. It was nice to relax and spend the afternoon by the beach as we haven’t had a nice day to do this in a long time. We didn’t do too much else for the rest of the day as Sam was exhausted after the run and the swim.

Day five

We had a bit of a sleep in this morning, before Sam went to pick up his new surfboard. Unfortunately this morning our second Kmart coffee frother broke, so we decided to head to the nearest Kmart to grab a new one and Sam grabbed some surf wax while we were in the shopping centre. We were heading in the other direction today, planning to visit Tweed Heads and possibly cross into the New South Wales border again. We found a park and walked along the footpath near Greenmount Beach. We stopped in at Snapper Rocks for a look, before continuing along the path to Froggy Beach. In the rocks there was a green frog, also known as The Green Froggie on Google. We then walked around to Point Danger for a look, before going to the Captain Cook Memorial and Lighthouse and crossing the border into New South Wales. Not sure if we can count it as another border crossing or not, but everything looked the same on either side so it didn’t really feel like one. It was another sunny day on the Gold Coast so we enjoyed the views and nice weather for a bit, before heading back along the path to the car. We had some lunch on a picnic bench near the beach, then hopped back in the car to head back to the caravan park. As the weather was so nice again, we decided to head back to the beach so Sam could have a crack at surfing. Unfortunately the waves were a bit too strong and Sam didn’t have much luck but still had a lot of fun. At one point the lifeguard drove up the beach and gave Sam some pointers as the current was pushing him towards the rocks. After a few more attempts, Sam stopped for the day and decided to give it a go another day while we are here. We walked back to the caravan park to shower and drop everything off, then we walked down the street to the Tallebudgera Surf Club to have a drink. We were able to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine and watch the ocean while having a drink. After our drink we walked back to the caravan park and enjoyed some chips from the food truck on site at the caravan park, then relaxed for the rest of the night. We got to see another amazing sunset over the creek as well.

Day six

Today was an early start for us as we decided to go and do Parkrun nearby at Varsity Lakes. It was a good run for the both of us and definitely wasn’t as cold as it was last week! After our run, we headed back to the caravan park to have some pancakes and get ready for the day. We decided to head into Surfers Paradise for a look as we were on the Gold Coast and we hadn’t visited since 2012. We had been wanting to go to Holy Moly for a long time and there was one in Surfers Paradise so we decided to head there and play some putt putt golf. It was probably a bit pricey for mini golf, but we had heaps of fun and the course was really cool. We each won a round and we were able to sit on the replica couch from The Simpsons and take some photos. We finished at Holy Moly then went for a walk to the beach for a quick look. By then it was lunch time so we decided to grab some burgers, then we headed back to the caravan park as we had some friends from Brisbane coming to visit us in the afternoon. To be honest, where we were staying was far nicer than Surfers Paradise as it can have a bit of a touristy vibe and we really aren’t into that. Now we definitely don’t have the urge to visit there anytime soon! That afternoon we hung out with our friends at Tallebudgera Beach while their dog and a dog that they were looking after had a run around on the beach. The weather wasn’t as nice as it was over the past few days but it was still sunny and it was nice to catch up with our friends. We said goodbye to them later on in the afternoon and we spent the rest of the evening relaxing as we were a bit tired after our early start this morning.

Day seven 

We had a bit of a slow start this morning, and had a big breakfast and got some washing done before heading out for the day. Our camper goes in to be fixed tomorrow, so we were spending most of the day getting organised for that and getting our shopping done. We decided to go for a walk first and drove down to the Palm Beach Parklands to have a look. We walked along the track past the lagoon, then walked back using the inland track. We then walked along to Palm Beach and had a walk along the beach, then headed back to the car via the dog off-leash beach. There were so many cute dogs running around having the best time, and it has been great to see so many dog friendly beaches around here on the Gold Coast. There is also a good balance of where dogs are and aren’t allowed on the beach so it can suit everyone. After our walk, we headed to the supermarket, then headed back to the caravan park. That afternoon we chatted to the family on Facetime and got some cleaning and organising done on the van in preparation for tomorrow. We then had an amazing thai green curry pie that was cooked in the Weber for dinner and continued to get organised for tomorrow. This will be the first time testing out the swag and will be a bit of a dry run for Cape York, so let’s hope we don’t forget anything and it is comfortable!

Weekly stats

• Number of KMs – 402
• Number of states – 1
• Number of campsites – 2
• Number of items lost – 1
• Number of items broken – 1