Caught up in Coldness

Even though we were really enjoying this unique view of Queensland and NSW, we were finding the temperatures just too cold for us. We even had to stop in Armidale and buy some woollies. We needed some thicker layers but set ourselves a $15 limit each to warm up (not wanting to waste money as we hoped we wouldn’t need the items for the long term). I picked up a hat and some fleece trackers, Brandon got a tuque(Aussie=beanie), some stylish jeans, and we also bought matching thick, wool slipper-socks. It was getting pretty darn cold at night and on more than a few occasions we had to wear all our buys to bed with everything else we had to stay warm. We knew we would need to make a dramatic move towards warmth if we were going to be comfortable and happy. We were lucky to inherit an awesome Australian camping guide. We plotted our route back towards the coast according to attractions and recommended camping spots along the way. Because of the mountainous lush tropics of the area and the overall vastness of the country, there are a number of secluded camping spots and many of them are free. We took full advantage as a means of saving money for the time being before hitting the sun shiny coast. We connected with the coast at Coffs Harbour but the massive weather system which had been drowning the area for weeks was still lingering so we pushed on through Byron Bay and stopped for the night off the coast in Lismore.

The following day we travelled about 300km, we try not to make driving the bulk of any day. Leaving Lismore we stopped in a couple towns as we travelled the small country roads. Mid afternoon we arrived in Noosa and the sun shined for what seemed to be the first day in a while. Tons of other people appeared to be as happy to see the sun as we were. The area was busy with tourists and locals alike. There were hundreds of surfers making the most of the gorgeous day not to mention all the other folks who were walking, biking, swimming, etc. We took a hike through the Noosa National Park which is full of spectacular scenery and beaches. Satisfied and Vitamin D boosted, we left town as the sun was setting. We stayed the night for free just outside Rainbow Beach at a tiny general store. We were the only people at this stop, which seemed crazy to us since the facilities were great. Waking in the morning, a beach day didn’t seem promising so we skipped our planned stop at Rainbow Beach and motored onto a camping spot at Lake Monduran. We laid low here for a couple days before we continued to Agnes Waters and the Town of 1770. Although these spots are scenic and fairly quiet, we would only able to stay one night since unbeknownst to us; we had pulled in on the Friday of the Queen’s B-day long weekend.