Apple and Grape Festival Holiday - Feb/March 2024 - Day 4

 Day 4:  Tuesday 27/2/24 - Gayndah to Kaimkillenbun (The Bun Hotel)

Got the Sunlander Carriage tour and history of the station this morning with Des.  He'll be here at 8.30am, so need to get brekky done and do a bit of packing up beforehand.

Des was the Station Master at Gayndah for 20 odd years, so has heaps of knowledge and history about the place.  Des was right on time, we were all not on time, but raced over when we realised the time.  A neighbourhood dog comes every morning apparently for the train tour, no he really comes for the pats Des was saying.

The tour with Des this morning was very interesting and enjoyable.  Des is a lovely gentleman with a great sense of humour and very passionate about retaining the history of the Heritage Railway Station, this place is definitely worth the overnight stop and gold coin donation for the tour.  It's a quite and pleasant tour.

Club Car

Club Car Galley

Menu doesn't look too bad

Dining Car

Dining Car Galley

Got away about 10.30am and our plan was to be at the Maidenwell Hotel for holiday smoko beer/wine, but since we have left later we might do lunch at Maidenwell instead.  Bad news, we got as far as Nanango and needed to stop for lunch to save our marriage 🤣  Eventually found a park and walked to the pub.  The Commercial Hotel for lunch and they are doing $20 Parmi, chips and salad as the special today!!  Yep we both went for that as you do.  Nice old pub, multiple fireplaces in the place.  Holy Shiet, talk about value for money, neither of us could finish our meals, so guess what breakfast is again tomorrow 😅

Me: Hawaiian Parmi and Craig:  Meatlovers with smoked brisket

Bit of discussion about where to next over lunch, decided to bypass Maidenwell this time and go onto The Bun Hotel Kaimkillenbun, because we haven't been there before and camp at the pub.  We've recently started doing this pub camping and it's a bit of fun.  I joined a group on Facebook Country Pub Camping and it's a really good reference.

A bit over an hour's travel from Nanango and we were at Kaimkillenbun, the roads have not improved much but the scenery again was rolling hills, scrub bush, grazing for cows and farmland.

Pulled up at The Bun Hotel, very pretty pub. Went in and had a couple of drinks, chatted with a couple of locals that came in and asked what crops were grown around here that we had seen - Sorghum was the answer.  Chatted with the barman, booked into the pub's campground and went off to pick a spot and set up.  Only 2 other campers there and they appear to be set up for a longer stay.  

Campground:  Nice grassed sites with power and water, older amenities but clean and you get a code for the door.  You are right on the road but honestly there isn't a lot of traffic during the afternoon and not much at night. Pet Friendly. Price is $30pp for 2 people.

Pub has a new owner, so is being renovated and I imagine they'll upgrade the campground in time.  Outside of the pub looks like it's done and it's very pretty.  Inside they have exposed the original pressed metal ceiling in the bar area that had been covered up with a false ceiling.  It is a beautiful old pub and will look gorgeous when they've finished the renos.

The original pressed metal ceiling, still to be renovated

A bit of relaxing at camp, chatting with Craig's brother on the phone and a few drinks.  Back over to the pub about 5.45pm for a light dinner after that massive lunch we had.  Pub got a bit busy with locals stopping in for a drink, some stopped in for a drink and takeaway pizza, another brought some of of town friends to the pub for dinner.  Everyone was very friendly and wanted to have a chat.  And you wouldn't believe it, one of the locals went to school with my cousin in Mt Isa - my goodness it's a small world!

We had a pizza for dinner which was very yummy.  We thanked the lovely barman and his partner who was cooking also for an enjoyable night and headed back to the van around 8.30 - 9pm and called it a day.

Busy bar that night.

Apple and Grape Festival Holiday - Feb/March 2024 - Day 3

 DAY :  Monday 26/2/24 -  Burnett Heads to Gayndah

Up and straight into coffee and breakfast this morning. Pack up the caravan and hook up the car again - yep we're on the road again.

9am and it's time to depart Burnett Heads for our next overnight destination of Gayndah.  Once we're out past Biggenden the scenery was just beautiful with rolling green hills and fields of produce, just a shame the road was so awful.

Arriving around lunchtime in Gayndah, we drove through town but couldn't find the Heritage Railway Station we were staying at tonight.  Finally found it over the other side of the River.  Pulling up there was nobody else here,  Craig not terribly sure if he wanted to stay here tonight.  We got out and had a walk around, it's a pretty little station.  We moved the car and van under the big awning in the shade to have some lunch and decide if we'd stay.

Des the old Station Master pulled in and had a yarn with us.  He'll be doing a tour of the Sunlander carriages in the morning.  We asked Des what the go was with the camping and he explained he mowed the grass this morning and you camped over that area opposite the station buildings on the grass, there are toilets available at the station 24/7. Camping is $5.00 pp/pn no power and a volunteer comes around in the afternoons to collect it.  It is pet friendly also.

Another van pulled in while we were having lunch, he asked if we were staying and we said we'd decide after having lunch.  With no back up plan for tonight and it's another 3 hours to Jondaryan Woolshed, Craig decided he didn't feel like driving any further so we would stay at the Heritage Train Station.  It is stinking hot again today.  We decided on a spot for the night and got the awning up quickly, it honestly feels like it's about 38 degrees it is not pleasant.  No air con tonight sadly, but we've got our new Kickass rechargeable oscillating fan so we'll give that a run tonight.

The first half a dozen or so camp spots are divided up with plants in between each one and further down it's just a big open grassed area.  

The ladies toilet in the station is the original one with the bench seat in the outer room, where the ladies could wait on a hot day.

Dinner will be Porterhouse steak, Chicken Kiev with salad since it's so hot.  Neighbouring camper came over for  a chin wag for a bit.  He and his wife are ex-service people, nice couple.  Showers in the van for the first time this trip tonight.  We sat outside enjoying the peace and quiet but I think the heat of the afternoon was just too much and we both retreated to bed.

Apple and Grape Festival Holiday - Feb/March 2024 - Day 2

 DAY 2:  Sunday 25/2/24 - Poona to Burnett Heads

5.30am - Craig is up, me happy to sleep in a little...... or so I thought

5.35am - Tracee where's my percolator coffee?

Me:  trying to sleep here!

Craig:  but where's my coffee.....

so I tell him where to go for his coffee exactly 😏

Me: close eyes to try go back to sleep.....

5.50am  Craig back inside caravan.... Where's my undies?

Me inside voice:   just ignore him, he'll go away!  nope that was wishful thinking, opening and closing every drawer and cupboard in the caravan!

Me:  FFS, second draw for your undies, same place they are packed every time!

Craig:  Where are my shirts

Me:  lefthand side of the cupboard they are always packed in!

Craig:  Is this one, taking it from the lefthand side of the cupboard 🤨

Me:  Arrggghhh!! yes,  I may as well get up

Craig:  You were awake anyway

Me:  Really, why do you think that was! 🫤

So the percolator coffee didn't go well this morning, operator blamed the equipment, but me thinks it might have been operator error 🤔😤

Our local butcher's cheese kransky and tin spaghetti for breakfast.  Clean up, pack up and ready to leave at 8.30am.

Quick drive around Poona and then heading off to our next stop.... Burnett Heads.  We've done a day trip in Burnett Heads last year and it's such a pretty little place, we decided we wanted to stay one time.  we considered stopping at Woodgate and camping behind the pub but carried on toward Bundaberg.  We might have missed the turn off for Bundy (yeah yeah,  I hear you, how but apparently it was my fault for not pointing the obvious sign on the highway to the driver, who somehow didn't see it 🙄  not to worry we just went down the road and turned around, which then gave us the idea of we might as well stop at the Apple Tree Creek pub for a holiday smoko beer and wine!!

What a cute little pub, beautiful old Queensland type timber building with lots of rooms.  So much character.  Staff were getting everything organised/cooking for their Sunday Roast, looks like it was going to be a good afternoon there.  There is free camping in the rest stop park within walking distance.  Not for us though, back on the road to the Burnett Heads Lighthouse Caravan Park.

Arriving round 11.30am, we booked in and got to choose our site as they weren't too busy.  Got a site looking toward the water which will be pleasant.  Set up done, we unhitched and went for a drive around for somewhere to have lunch.  Unfortunately the lovely fish and chip shop we went to on our last visit didn't appear to be open, so we decided on the pub for lunch before husband gets the hangries.  Lunch was delicious and they had live music in the beer garden - bonus 👍

Back to camp for an unexciting afternoon of napping and watching the Supercars on TV.  We are thinking it is pretty cool sitting here looking out toward the water watching the Supercars, having a drink and relaxing.  Yep this TV thing while camping is new to us.

Since it was still as hot as the surface of the sun this afternoon, we decided to have a refreshing shower and head back to The Lighthouse Pub for a couple of drinks and dinner in the air con and make it an easy night.

Let's talk about dinner..... holy cow, I got the Chicken Parmi and Craig the Chef's suggestion of Pork Ribs.  Craig got through his, but I didn't even get through half of my Parmi, it was massive!!  Guess we'll be having Parmi bubble and squeak for brekky.  Meals were reasonably priced as were the rounds of drinks which consisted of a schooner of stone and wood and a large glass of NZ sav blanc.

Let's give you some info of the Burnett Heads Lighthouse Caravan Park:

Caretaker was more then helpful and friendly.  It's a small caravan park, so don't feel like you're in a city if you know what I mean and it's a pretty little park.  Sites are grassy with some trees around for a bit of shade and some sites look out toward the water, power and water.  They have  a few cabins also.  Amenities are older but clean.  It was quite hot inside the amenities but was high 30's during the day and uncomfortably humid at night.  Dog Friendly.   Price $38/night/2 people.

After dinner we hid inside the van in the air conditioning due to it being very humid and uncomfortable outside.

We find Burnett Heads to be a quaint little seaside town, you're not far from Bundaberg to use it as a base to see around the area but is not in the hustle and bustle.  There is a cafe, fish and chip shop, takeaway shop, IGA I think it was and the pub.  There's the marina and hardstand and they are starting to build a new residential marina complex, but for us the town still hold onto it's small town feel currently.

Apple and Grape Festival Feb/March 2024 - Day 1

 Day 1: Saturday 24th February 2024 - Sunshine Coast to Poona

11am on the road finally after mowing, cleaning and putting camera gear and last minute bits in the car.  Top up with fuel and hit the highway.....  

first stop is Poona, staying in the caravan park to sort ourselves out and get into this caravanning thing.  We have had a couple of shake down weekends away last year, which Boris was able to enjoy with us, but this is the first longer period we've stayed in the caravan for and also the first time in 13 1/2 years we have camped without our Boris 💔

Bit of run down on this holiday, because the title and our first destination may be a bit confusing 🤔  We need to be in Stanthorpe for the Apple and Grape festival on Friday 1st March - Monday 4th March, but we will go north first before we go south to end up in Stanthorpe and then we will continue south from Stanthorpe before heading north for home 😅

Trip Map Overview    

Upon arriving at Poona Palms Caravan Park and being given our site number,  we found some else was already in our spot, so back to the office to sort that out, new site number given and when we looked at it there was going to be no way out tomorrow morning due to being parked in on all sides - back to the office and this time the lovely office lady came out to see what had happened.  Turns out that the people in front of us weren't exactly in the right spot, instead camping right next to their parents thus blocking the exit out.  We all had a chat and they were leaving as well the next morning, so all was good - mind you Craig had started to get cranky with all of those back and forth, mostly because we are not caravan park dwellers normally, so it's all a bit different.

Once setup on our slab site, we headed across the road to the local cafe for a quick lunch, then back to camp to put the air conditioning on (now this is completely new to us when camping!!) and set up the new TV so he could watch the Supercars and relax with a beer and hopefully find his happy place.  What doesn't help today is the temperature is about 33 degrees and humidity has got to be about 99% - it is horrible.  The pool in the caravan park is full of people.

The caravan park review......  The office lady was very lovely, friendly and extremely helpful.  Sites are grassy, power and water, swimming pool, pet friendly, amenities are older, but certainly clean and adequate, cafe/licensed bar and you are right on the Sandy Straits.  Overall, a nice enough caravan park.  Cost was $48.00 for 2 people per night.

A nice afternoon sea breeze kicked in and made it a little more pleasant.  Sweet Chilli Prawns and salad for dinner due to it being hot still, then we wandered over to the caravan parks Cafe for a Canadian Club after dinner over looking the water.

Back at camp, dishes done, showers had, chat to the owner that was just going around the park on his quad bike, then an early night in the air conditioning in the caravan ...... how long has this been going on for !!!!   awesome...

Sorry, this is the only photo I got at Poona.

Introduction to our new tow vehicle and holiday preparation - YAH!!

Friday 16th February 2024

OMG 5.22pm and we have had about 460mm of rain this year to date, well since we put the new weather station in on the property and we missed the first rain event here, so give or take 100 - 200mm on top of that - for pete's sake!

So, preparations for the holiday have most definitely commenced,  probably if I am honest for me they started a good month or so ago - yes I maybe a tinsey winsey bit excited!  Dining room table is starting to be covered with dry food for the trip and incidentals 😁 Also covered in maps and the planning book.

Craig has been working on our new tow vehicle (secondhand) that we got mid last year for the caravan purchase.  2019 Hilux Rugged X,  yep I know it's black we live in Queensland, not a colour we have ever ever ever wanted for a car, but as I keep telling Craig, it has a pretty blue fleck in the paint, it's very pretty 😊  I love my "new" black Hilux, the first UTE I've ever owned and driven!!

The Rugged X has been set up as a touring vehicle, stock standard for the mechanical stuff.  However the boot as I call it (tub) now has drawers, drawer fridge (yep really isn't for me because it gets filled up with husband's beer), Stork has made a false floor around the draws with hatches to lift out.  Forward in the tray houses the 120amp hour Lithium Battery, DC/DC charger, lots of impressive wiring, buses and other stuff 😎, also in there is the air compressor that has a line that runs to the back of the tub on the port side with a connection at the bottom.  As well, there is a 43lt water tank with pump and a line that runs to the back of the tub port side to fill up your water bottle etc. 

The starboard side at the back of the tub has the electronic panel there for switches for lights (still to put in), pumps, compressors, volt/amp metre and 3 Anderson plugs for solar input, 12v output and direct link to the battery for the 240 volt charger etc.  We have bought a solar blanket to help charge the battery in the back when we are parked up for more then one day.

And of course there are two spaces either side at the back, specially able to take a carton of beer in each!!  go figure 😄  again, not for me!

Right,  back to preparation for the holiday......... made use of the rain today and washed down the caravan with boat wash from top to bottom so it is nice and clean and presentable for the holiday.  We currently have a little bit of leak when it rains coming in from the vent in the ensuite, it's dripping down into the shower floor in two places, so something to investigate once this rain finally finishes but probably after we have our holiday.

The Hilux will get a good clean inside and out this weekend and hopefully won't get covered in mud too much during the week before we leave 🤞  We live on a dirt road now.

The 2020 Swage XT15 Raptor Overlander Hybrid Caravan:

It's a push up and push out arrangement with a king size bed, outdoor galley and inside galley, L shape settee, toilet/shower combo inside.  We have put an 85Lt Evakool fridge/freezer in.  A couple of little hacks we've done have been removable shower mat so you are not standing in the water when drying yourself, a couple of Fusion Loc towel racks to hold the shower curtain to stop the toilet getting wet and an extension towel rack to hang towels on, Fusion Loc shelf in the shower and one for in the living area of the caravan to hold whatever. A couple of Fusion Loc hooks to hang clothes, jackets on so they aren't piled up on the settee. 

We have also purchased a wireless reversing camera for the caravan from Englaon, which Craig is installing on the weekend.  I am sure it will be a marriage saver at some point 😄 and it'll be nice to see what's going on behind us as we drive along the road.  Decided we'd buy a 12 volt Smart TV from Englaon as well, since we have the aerial already set up in the van and of course the Supercars are racing the first weekend we are gone 🙄  There was no step on the caravan, so we purchased a black single step from TRA Australia with 2 blue lights on the top of the step and an under step light - just awesome.

Craig has also put a tool box on the slide on the opposite side of the fridge.

That pretty much sums up everything I think, onto that long awaited holiday now!!