The Great Budget 4wd Trip Around Australia – Week 2

This week we continued up through Queensland – getting to the gorgeous Agnes Water.

We ended with a bit of luxury – staying in a friend’s house (I know, 4 walls!) in Yeppoon.

Spot of the Week:

Agnes Water, Queensland

Free Camp of the Week:

Lawgi Hall, Thangool, QLD (wonderful donation-based showers, toilets and a stunning view)

Tip of the Week:

Do your washing up whenever you can! Don’t leave it because you don’t know when you’ll find water again! (see disaster of the week!)

Disaster of the Week:

Losing the tap off our water pipe, so we can’t access the water inside = lots of dirty dishes!

The Budget ($ AUD)

Fuel – $111
Groceries – $170
Camping Fees – $42
Showers – $4
Laundry – $7
Doctors – $20 (to get the flying ant out of G’s ear!)
Total – $396
(much happier with this week’s budget – we are aiming for around $400 spend per/week, so we’re actually under – hoorah!)

 

 

Day 1 – Carnarvon Gorge National Park to Moura

It was sad to leave our little home in Carnarvon Gorge National Park but this is a road trip, so we had to keep moving.

We only had a short trip to Moura, QLD where we stayed at our first roadside free camp.

It was a lovely little campsite on the banks of the Dawson River.

We had plenty of room to choose a site from, and with toilets and a hot shower ($1) it was a bit of luxury as far as free camps go.

 

Day 2 – Moura to Biloela

Another short day of driving, only covering 100km, but somehow we still didn’t reach our destination for 9 hours!

Only 20 minutes into our journey we came across the little town of Banana, named after a yellow ox called Banana and not as you would think, the fruit.

The plan was to spend the day blogging at a library or café in Biloela, however life on the road can, and usually is, full of surprises.

The library in Biloela didn’t have the facility to bring your own device, and the only café that was open didn’t have Wi-Fi.

So in true “whatever it takes” mode, we found a Telstra WIFI hot spot and sat in the car parked on the street and enjoyed the free internet for 4 hours!

Finally, just after 4pm we made our way to another fabulous free campsite, Lawgi Hall, just outside the town of Thangool.

 

Day 3 – Lawgi Hall to Lowmead

After a quick trip back into Biloela to remove a flying ant from the boy’s ear (don’t ask!), we set off for Cania Gorge and Cania Dam.

The dam was a beautiful spot for a quick read up on local gold mining history, before heading onto the town of Monto.

After that, we hit our first patch of dirt road as we made our way through the stunning Kalpowar State Forest and were treated to a wonderful rainbow.

Eventually we found our way to Corso’s Lowmead Hotel – our free camp for the night.

And what a find it was.

The campgrounds are terrific, with plenty of level areas to set up for the night.

The Hotel was a very friendly country pub with chatty owners and a very laid back feel.

 

Day 4 – Lowmead to Agnes Water

Our plans of an early start were set back by having to wait for the rooftop tent to dry out from the downpour overnight.

Very glad to report that the tent is waterproof, and we just needed some sunlight to dry out the flysheet.

Feeling refreshed and relaxed after a lovely evening at the Lowmead Hotel we made the short journey to Agnes Water and the town of Seventeen Seventy.

A quick look around both towns to get our bearings, we soon found our bargain bush camp at Workmans Beach – just a 10 minute walk from town and Agnes Beach, rumoured to be one of the nicest in Australia.

We managed to get in some beach time before a walk up to the lookout over Main and Workmans Beach.

Then we headed back to camp and settled in for the night.

As I had hoped, Agnes Water and 1770 are divine little coastal towns in the Central Queensland bush.

Agnes Water beach is a 6km stretch of paradise.

Minimal development means the beach and dunes are left to nature.

With a patrolled stunning beach right at the edge of town, and a great selection of accommodation and cafes/restaurants, Agnes really is a great location for a stay of any length.

 

Day 5 – Beach Walk to 1770

An early start was needed to get the best tide conditions for our beach walk to 1770.

A quick breakfast and we were off.

Luckily, it was the perfect day for the 6km walk along one of Australia’s best beaches.

Low tide allowed us to walk all the way to the end of the beach at the 1770 headland, where it is a beautiful blend of wild ocean, pristine beach and jagged cliffs.

After that, we climbed up to the Joseph Banks Conservation Area and found Cooks Monument, the place where Captain Cook first set foot on Queensland soil back in 1770.

Perhaps you can now understand the strange name of the town!

 

Day 6 – Agnes Water

Life on the road can be very glamorous, however, some of the same old domestic jobs still need doing.

Today was washing day, and after 10 days our large bag of laundry looked too big to hand wash.

We gave up on this idea and found the local laundrette instead.

Being budget travellers however, we didn’t want to pay for a dryer as well.

The beach was looking too inviting, so we headed down there with our wet, clean clothes and hung them out in the trees to dry while we also enjoyed the sunshine.

 

 Day 7 – Agnes Water to Yeppoon

Today it’s been time to pack up again and leave another beautiful camp spot behind.

An early quick swim, breakfast and we were again practising the art of breaking camp, which I will say, we are getting pretty good at.

3 hours later and we stopped off in Rockhampton to pick up some mail from the post office, do some grocery shopping and  fuel up.

Then we were lucky enough to have dinner and spend the night staying with some old friends in Yeppoon.

 

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