TRAVEL INFORMATION

Scott's Roadtrip - Part III

WHALE OF A TIME IN HERVEY BAY

With his adventurous family including wife Kerry and two children Billy (8) and Eloise (6), bestselling author and travel writer SCOTT PODMORE hightails it from the deep south of Victoria for Queensland’s east coast on an unforgettable road trip. This is the third of a five-part blog series ‘On The Road Again’, exclusive to Tourism Queensland.

THERE’S something breathtaking when you see a whale in full breach, bursting from the water and putting on a show especially for you and your family. But more than that, it’s the look on your children’s faces when someone on the boat yells, ‘There’s one’. You’re so much more aware in that 4D environment out on the ocean, complete with the smell of the sea, waves rocking you on gently on the boat and the mist of water hitting your face every time the whale’s mighty back or flipper smacks hard on the water.

They know they’re being watched – you’d swear they know all about being in the company of children, too; they’re very pleased about it.

The whale watching with the Quick Cat II gang was one of the biggest highlights of our trip and Hervey Bay is such an important destination for travellers anywhere within the vicinity of the region. The journey to get there in our campervan rental from Maroochydore can be done in around two hours along the M1, but it’s worth kicking around Gympie for an hour or so in the hinterlands of the Coolaloola Coast, a place steeped in a fascinating gold mining past and famous for the Gympie Muster and The rollicking Mary River “Rattler” (an old steam train that is well worth taking a ride on to experience the sights of the Mary Valley).

We also included a little backtracking on our route in order to get back off the Bruce Highway and onto the coastline in the tucked away area at Rainbow Beach, a place in between Tin Can Bay and the Pacific Ocean. We caught a surreal sunset there down on the beach and ran on the beautiful soft sand and in and out of the waves before a late check-in at Fraser Lodge Big 4 in Hervey Bay.

Fraser Lodge is a well-equipped park very close to all the action with the main street just around the corner with a range of great shops and restaurants. The park’s loaded with great powered and unpowered sites and some terrific cabins that face onto a giant pond that is home to loads of curious turtles and bird life and a place where the kids have heaps of grassed areas to run around on. Facilities are first rate and we hooked up with another terrific family there who had kids the same age as ours, so we joined them for a BBQ dinner and wine on the grass near the pond at sunset.

NEARBY HIGH 5:

1. Quick Cat II whale watching tours – it’s an experience you won’t forget.
2. Fraser Island only a quick ferry across the Pacific to the one of the world’s most famous sand islands boasting great resorts, sightseeing, walking trails and much more.
3. All aboard the historic Mary River Rattler in Gympie. A great experience for the family and several places to explore around the region.
4. Head for The Deck Restaurant & Bar in Urangan for great drinks, great food and great views.
5. Rainbow Beach. Tucked away almost out of sight from the highway, and boasting one of Australia’s best little beaches.

 

NEXT TIME (PART IV): The long haul up to Mackay

Scott's trip was supported by DriveNow.com.au