Archive for October, 2009

AS sad as it was to leave Maroochydore, it was time for some Outback fun!

We headed north to Bundaberg, the home of the world famous Bundaberg Rum and I couldn’t wait. The drive up there seemed to take forever, even though it’s a great road to travel on, as I was so excited about our distillery tour that afternoon. Sheree wasn’t so keen … I wonder why?

After unhooking our vans and setting up, we headed in the direction of the birthplace of the big White Polar Bear (yep, you know the big fella from the Bundy advertisements on TV?). And there he was, right inside the door waiting to greet us. They make some awesome things in that place, not to mention the liquors – they went down very, very easily, if I might say so myself!

Next was the Mysterious Craters on the outskirts of town on the way to Gin Gin. That’s the town everyone claims is UFO hotspot with regular visitations reported. And I am not joking! We went and filmed locals in the street and they are fairdinkum about these UFOs. So much so, that only two days earlier one had apparently crash-landed and partially burnt down one of their houses! So off we toddle out to the farm to see it for ourselves and, lo-and-behold, there it was! I still don’t know what to think of that. The fact that the place had been burnt was very real and we saw it with our own eyes – for obvious reasons the main part was all cordoned off, but we could still see where it had burnt and the owner confirmed that it started from something crash-landing from outerspace … that’s when we high-tailed it back to Bundaberg!

Couldn’t sleep a wink that night waiting for ET to knock at my door.

PETER “SPIDA” EVERITT

Catch The Great Australian Doorstep on the How To Channel on Foxtel

It was time for a great week on the Sunshine Coast.
Maroochydore - here we come!
Staying at the Big4 Maroochy Palms is just out of this world – it’s a 5 star resort. With so much to choose from to do, we decided to go simple and hire bikes and take in our new surroundings – definitely a place I could live.
We rode up and down the foreshore on the bike track and the kids had a blast. Then it was off to the Ginger Factory to enjoy in another awesome family attraction. Boston loved the train so much we couldn’t get him off. We think he did about 10 laps! Anais and I took a boat ride, which was very entertaining as they have a pack of sheep doing the haka – very fitting, I thought!
Then a day was spent just relaxing at the Big4 park. Honestly, this is the best park we have ever stayed in. Anais wanted to do something extreme, so it was Top Shots Theme park next on the agenda. Anais and Sheree did the vertical trampoline and I tried to go for a ride on a helicopter with Boston … but that didn’t quite work out.

PETER “SPIDA” EVERITT
The Great Australian Doorstep is now showing on the How To Channel on Foxtel

LEAVING behind the bitter cold of Armidale, we head out to the coast to Ballina. It’s an awesome drive, very easy going, but just make sure you take your campervan via Glen Innes and then head out to the coast. That’s the best road when in a camper or towing a caravan. There’s some stunning scenery along the way, too, and for once we had no hiccups! When arriving at Ballina you can feel the buzz. It is a vibrant little place and the beaches are awesome. We stayed at Big4 Shaws Bay, which is right on the water with a walkway that goes all the way out on the spit to the heads. The sites here are right on the water, which is just magic! Then it was time for a bit of a challenge and Anais, my 8-year-old daughter, thought a surfing competition was the order of the day (here I am, right, trying to psyche myself up for the challenge!). We hired some boards and, yes, the beach was awesome, the water surprisingly warm but unfortunately a 7-foot tall former footballer doesn’t make for a very good surfer. Anais, who has never surfed in her life, kicked my butt! Pretty embarrassing as I had been pumping myself up on the beach to anyone who would care to listen.

PETER “SPIDA” EVERITT

IT is an easy drive from Ballina to Toowoomba, especially with the new highways making driving your campervan a lot more pleasant experience around the Gold Coast and Brisbane. It’s just the last steep haul up to the top of the mountain that can be hard going. Mind you, it wasn’t until we left that we realised the problems that it caused – those damn brakes again!

Toowoomba is world famous for its amazing gardens and even though I wouldn’t normally look sideways at a garden, these have to be seen to be believed. It is just awesome to see the local council putting so much time and effort back into something that everyone can enjoy.

Next on the agenda was Sheree deciding to experience the local Ghost Tour. It’s a self-drive option but the problem was she was too scared to get out of the car and film it (for The Great Australian Doorstep)! She still swears that there was a ghost in the schoolgrounds! I had to stay at home and babysit.

One of the original Cobb & Co museums is also in Toowoomba and, boy, you can spend a great day in there. So much for the kids to learn, and adults for that matter! Toowoomba is definitely very under-rated. It’s a great city, easy to get around and tons to do.

PETER “SPIDA” EVERITT
Catch The Great Australian Doorstep on the How To Channel, Foxtel

This is a must-do trip with your camper, enjoying the spoils on offer along the Great Ocean Road and keeping the navigation simple – stay in on your left-hand side!

A shopping trip at Torquay should be first on your list and the best bargains are found in the warehouses located behind the main surf shop strip. Good quality wetsuits, fins, mask and snorkel are mandatory and easily packed in the camper.  For the more adventurous, a surfboard is worth the effort too.

Stay on the Great Ocean Road from Torquay to Warrnambool.  There are many great places to stop along the way but Apollo Bay and Port Fairy are highly recommended – plan to stay at least one day at each town.

A terrific little (and not well known) camping ground is at Yambuk about 30km west of Port Fairy which is sensational, with a beautiful ocean beach and inland river. It caters for all water sports and all ages. Seafood lovers will be in heaven at Port MacDonnell, a popular and busy fishing port. The local seafood is well priced and very fresh. Camping at the council campground is recommended, with well priced camping, nice grassy sites and a short walk to the beach. Diving/snorkeling enthusiasts should visit the local Mt Gambier caves.  Permits are required (bookings required prior to arrival via SA National Parks). Piccinini and Ewans Ponds are both world renowned for their spectacular formations, clear water and ease of accessibility. Try to book in and do it around midday when the sun is directly overhead, giving maximum light to these underwater delights.

For architecture enthusiasts, or those who simply enjoy panoramic ocean views, Robe will not disappoint. Camping at the local campground on the hilltop will provide awesome ocean views and five star facilities. We recommend you make a straight run for Kangaroo Island from Robe and catch the afternoon ferry to the Island. Check you have a full fuel tank, as fuel supplies are limited on the Island. If arriving late there are a number of nice campsites at Antechamber Bay with good wind protection and plenty of wildlife. Wheatons Beach has magnificent views of the ocean and plenty of designated camping sites along the coastal road.  For those seeking a bit of fast action, the quad bikes at Vivonne Bay are worth a go.

No trip to Kangaroo Island is complete without a visit to Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch (approxiamately 10km apart).  Take the camera and get creative – the rocks provide a great contrast to the wild ocean. The office desk photo is easy to arrange here. The Island is abuzz with wildlife and don’t be surprised to meet a wallaby, koala or even echidna along the way. New Zealand seals and penguins also call the Island home. Be sure to have the camera on the ready for some great wildlife shots. Regular ferries run from the Island but it is recommended to book in advance (www.sealink.com.au).

Pack for all weather conditions, but expect awesome scenery, great food and meeting friendly people and wildlife along the way.

BMAN & SAMMO

So, having relaxed on the beaches of Far North Queensland we headed for a slightly different pace of life, south to Surfers Paradise and the Theme Parks.

Flying into Brisbane we picked up another Avis Car rental at Brisbane Airport. We’d make the booking with DriveNow back in August and one point that really came through was how much cheaper it was to book in advance. That may sound like a sales pitch however the reality was that it saved us $60 on a 3 day rental. It does pay to book in advance particularly in peak periods such as Christmas, Easter and School Holidays.

Perhaps we were lucky with our timing but we had bags and hire car collected and were on the road within 35 minutes of landing.

We drove south to Surfers through the road-works on the Gateway Motorway (why in Australia do we refer to some roads as Motorways and others as Freeways? Aren’t they the same thing?) and on down the Pacific Motorway past the soon to be visited Theme Parks.

 Surfers Paradise seems to take people one of 2 ways; either it’s a blot on the landscape, a gaudy, mishmash of towers blocking out the afternoon beach sun, or it’s endless beautiful beach and surf with hotels, restaurants and all the city mod-cons we love together in one of the best Australian climates. Either way it’s unqiue and we reckon take it as it comes and enjoy, after all as one of Australia’s fastest growing regions it has to be one of the most popular destinations around.      

We arrived during the AFL Grand Final so the streets were quieter than usual and with the up coming Gold Coast Indy 500 race due in October this was a God-send as there were saftely barriers, temporary stands and other road changes to navigate around and challenge the newcomer.

We’d booked a 3 bedroom apartment at Crown Towers on the recommendation of a friend. This towering Resort certainly had everything within its 39 floors.

Downstairs there were 2 pools, the outside beach-like pool was surprisingly cold at 16 degrees and despite the warm weather didn’t appear to get any warmer during our stay. Fortunately we had the sea and the indoor heated Pool and Sauna at 26 degrees were a popular fall-back.

Other facilities included, bar, restaurant,  popular Thai Restaurant, internet access (note if you wish to do a Qantas online check-in the security settings don’t let you print your boarding passes as we found out! Fortunately we discovered an internet café down the road that we were able to use), Tour booking desk and free underground parking. Include the central location, complete security and this was an ideal spot for families to set up base in. You get to choose either to remain within the resort which had everything on tap, or venture out to the beach or Surfers itself.

For those looking for immediate thrills and spills the Resort sits beside Adrenaline Park, a mini theme park in the middle of Surfers. This had the aptly named Vomatron (giant propeller) which I was reliablly informed revolved at 120kph (not for me thank you), Sling Shot which propels you 72m skyward at 160kph (ditto) and bungy jumping into or touching water (your choice). Fortunately there is mini Golf, dodgem cars and bungy trampolines to keep sane people entertained. 

We only had 2 full days for the Theme Parks and the kids had settled on Wet ‘N’ Wild and Warner Bros Movieworld. We’d booked in advance on the myfun.com website and grabbed a 10% discount on our Escape passes (2 parks in 3 days) – a hidden bonus in doing this was that we skipped the ticket queues at both parks.

Both parks were a hit with the kids, although the parents were a little hesitant (in one case VERY hesitant) in jumping on the rides.

As plenty has been written about the Parks I’ll keep my observations to the following tips:

1.  Pre book your tickets on myfun.com (you need to sign up but that’s a 20 second job). You get the 10% discount and avoid queuing at the parks.
2. Get there early! Aim to arrive around 9.15am – doors open at 9.30 or so and rides commence around 10. You’re looking at 50+ minute queues for popular rides later in the day, arriving early ensures you can experience your favourite thrills more quickly. Alternatively visit the park outside School Holidays.
3. Wet ‘N’ Wild have a no Commercial Food allowed through the gate Policy – but home made sandwiches and bringing your own drinks was fine. This seems a sensible approach – we took our own and also purchased onsite from some of the many outlets as well. An obvious thing to note – Glass and alcohol are both no-no’s.
4. Movieworld take the Food Policy to a bit of an extreme and allow no food or drink onto their premises at all with the exception of Special Dietary requirements. They have security guards at the entrance to check bags. A bit of a draconian measure I assume to encourage you to purchase at onsite food and beverage outlets.
5. Your Kids will have a complete 100% ball of a time! And guess what? So will you. The Parks have everything set up to a tee and it genuinely was Family fun at its best. To be honest – so what if you have to queue – so does everyone else, relax and enjoy, it’s all part and parcel of being at Australia’s most popular Theme Parks.  

 Surfers definitely has something to offer for everyone and is conveniently within 2.5 hours flying of Australia’s large cities as well as being a popular destination for overseas visitors. With events such as the Indy 500, the forthcoming Aussie Rules Football team franchise to be launched in 2011, a potential bid for the Commonwealth Games, Australian University Games, The Theme Parks, Iron Man and other Surf Competitions, there really is always something to do and see on this vibrant coast.

Next year I am reliably informed we are back for Dreamworld and something called the Drop – which I’ve been assured will be heaps of fun. Having seen it from the freeway I’m not convinced, perhaps it’s Mum’s turn to try that one! Sea World will also be on the agenda and sounds tamest of all – gotta love those Dolphins, Polar Bears and Sharks!

ChrisC