Ballina to Port Macquarie

Distance travelled today 363kms
Distance travelled so far 7,352kms

Woke to a beautiful day! Grabbed a quick coffee at the shop at Tasman Discovery Park and headed towards Coffs Harbour and the Big BananaThe Big Banana Fun Park | Coffs Harbour Attractions & Activities.

Once there we did the Theatre experience and Plantation Tour. We learned that bananas are actually herbs and they are not trees as their 'trunks' are actually leaves! They also move about 25cm a year as the parent tree dies and the new sucker is the one going up the hill. That was really good. We did get a bite to eat at the cafe however the prices are costly and in our opinion, not good value for money. 

We then headed over to Reptile World Reptile World - a small display but the staff are lovely, and we got to meet

Bluey the blue tongue and Stella the bearded dragon. Also got a good look at the Lace Monitor and then we headed off to Port Macquarie and The Waters Edge Motel Waters Edge | Port Macquarie Accommodation | Waters Edge Port Macquarie offers a relaxing environment on the picturesque waters edge of the Hastings River.. Lovely room, had a meal in the restaurant and enjoyed our last night away from home.

Byron Bay to Ballina

Distance travelled today 251kms
Distance travelled so far 6,989kms

Today was always a slow moving day to allow us time to look at both Byron Bay and Ballina. We started by parking at the new underground carpark at Woolworths. The issue with Byron Bay is parking, lack of and the fact that you have to pay for it everywhere near the main shopping precinct! But underground parking at least gave us an hour free - it ended up costing us $5 as we were there just under 2 hours. We headed back to Apex Park, walked along the beach - again a beautifully clean beach with clear water, not many shells and then headed back.

Visited the Rainbow Shack a wonderful shop with tie dye clothes and an array of bags; purses; anklets; bracelets etc we popped into the souvenir shop and then grabbed a coffee on the way back to the car.

We then drove up to the lighthouse to see if we could spot some whale activity, as the reception staff had said that they had been spotted daily. Well word of warning, the road to the lighthouse is narrow and winding, once at the top where the two small carparks are - there are not many opportunities to park. So unfortunately, we did not get the chance to stay and watch for whales, but if we visited again, we would probably park down the bottom and walk to the top (taking water and not much else as it is appears a hard slog). So we said farewell to Byron Bay and headed to Ballina.

We stayed at the Tasman Big 4 Holiday Park, a lovely one-bedroom unit that has single bunk beds in the lounge area and a well-equipped kitchen. As we arrived early, we unpacked and headed downtown to I Naii as K needed her infills done prior to next week and had a look around the shops. Visited the Book Warehouse Facebook and got a few bargains and the lovely toy shop where they have a lovely assortment of toys My Toy Kingdom Lismore, Ballina and Byron Bay – My Toykingdom. We headed back, had a spa and then got ready to go out for dinner at Hungry Jacks followed by the cinema to see Barbie for us while Simon went to the gym. Great cinema! Palace Cinemas | Australian Movie Theatre & Cinemas Got back and chilled...

Bribie Island to Byron Bay

Distance travelled today 226kms
Distance travelled so far 6,964kms

Today we started at Bribie Island Butterfly House, what an amazing experience!Bribie Island Butterfly House If in the area, you must do this! Butterflies are bred here and then they live their lives in an enclosed garden area, where you can go and spend time with them. As there are no predators, they get to grow old!

Then we were off to Byron Bay! Crossed the border to NSW - Goodbye QLD!        We are staying at the Discovery Park here and it is great!Byron Bay, North Coast, New South Wales | Discovery Parks (discoveryholidayparks.com.au) There is a heated pool and an unheated pool, kids water play area, tennis court, jumping pillow. The studio unit we are in is compact but comfortable, the amenities block is nice and the laundry has both coin and card machines!

We went for dinner in town and went to Bay Kebabs, they are so yummy! Bay Kebabs – Byron Bay KebabsWe then went to Apex ParkApex Park - Byron Shire Council (nsw.gov.au) to eat them and listen to live music before heading back down the street to Bella Gelato for some gelato to finish off our dinner! BELLAROSA (bellarosabyronbay.com.au) 

Noosa Heads to Bribie Island

Distance travelled today 108kms
Distance travelled so far 6,738kms

Today we began with a 2.2km walk around near where the Villa Noosa was.

There is a shopping centre across the carpark, and we then walked down towards the water and then back again. Hoping into the car we headed to Hastings Street. Apparently this is where you will find "stars" sitting having coffee at times! Parking is limited but there is a carpark with a 3-hour time limit that we happened to snag a park in! We did not see any "stars", but after having a drink at Noosa Social Espresso & Wine (8) Facebook very good milkshake and cappuccino!

We walked across the road to the alley that leads to the Main Beach! What a lovely expanse of clean sand and clear water, it was a shame about the overcast weather but it was still an enjoyable walk! On the way back to the car we stopped at Jojo's Jojo Noosa – JOJONoosa to have a look and purchased a couple of dresses! Then it was time to head to KFC for lunch and then onwards to Bribie Island. We had looked at the map and decided to take Route 70 The Sunshine Way instead of the Pacific Coast Way (PCW) for the majority of the trip, only turning onto PCW when we had to! We turned off at Pumicestone Way and headed to Bribie Island. Travelling over the bridge that connects it to the mainland we had to turn immediately after it ended and to our accommodation The Bribie Island Hotel Bribie Island Hotel | An Iconic Bistro & Beer Garden Newly Renovated 

What a pleasant surprise our accommodation was and an added bonus of a breakfast box each! Lovely well appointed room with a lovely size bathroom all very well styled and access to an outdoor area with seating just for us!

After settling in and relaxing we headed to the hotel for dinner - fantastic food and service and then a gelato treat to finish! 

Hervey Bay to Noosa Heads

Distance travelled today 191kms
Distance travelled so far 6,630kms

A lovely slow start today as we took time to walk along the beach at Hervey Bay! Lovely sand to walk on, shells, rocks and dead coral to collect!
The water was lovely and cool and clear! We had coffee and hot chocolate at FX Coffee Facebook - highly recommend! Then we headed into town and went to Stockland shopping centre Hervey Bay Shopping Centre | Stockland to pick up a few things from Kmart & QBD Books and had lunch at Nodaji Sushi Nodaji Sushi (stockland.com.au) would gladly eat from here again - delicious! Finishing off at Boost Juice Boost Juice (stockland.com.au) wonderful service and delicious juice!

On we travelled to Noosa Heads, choosing to go the scenic route versus the Bruce Highway (Pacific Coast Way) for a change of scenery! Arrived at Villa Noosa Villa Noosa Hotel, Noosaville, QLD and have a lovely room with a Queen Bed, Single Bed, fridge, kettle, roomy bathroom, balcony. Sadly, the weather turned overcast, cool and then rained.

We went down to the Villa Noosa Steakhouse for dinner and enjoyed a lamb shank and chicken schnitzels and a sticky date pudding before heading back to the room to watch The Voice & The Matilda's play Denmark!

Rockhampton to Hervey Bay

Distance travelled today 438kms
Distance travelled so far 6,439kms

The Q Motel put on breakfast at the dining room this morning - a lovely selection of cereals, pancakes, toast, English muffins, fruit, yogurt, juices, tea and coffee. After eating and packing up the car we headed to the Information Centre where they have a spire for the Tropic of Capricorn. The Tropic of Capricorn Spire (queensland.com) 

We then headed for Miriam Vale and lunch at the Imperial Vale Station Facebook which is closed, however it is owned by a distant cousin who had invited us to lunch.

After spending a couple of hours here we then headed to Hervey Bay, arriving in the dark - we will explore in the morning! 

We are staying at the Beach Motel Book Now | The Beach Motel Hervey Bay We have a lovely room with a big Queen bed and single bed, 3 seater lounge, coffee table very comfortable! 

Mackay to Rockhampton

Distance travelled today 339kms
Distance travelled so far 6,001kms

We left Mackay and headed to Rockhampton. We saw a sign that said there were Sugar Factory Tours at Sarina so we headed there. Unfortunately the 11am tour was full, but we paid to do a tasting of the products - bonus was we got fairy floss to taste! The products were full of flavour and the liqueurs they have there (I have on good authority) were good too!

We then proceeded to Malborough where we had decided to have a rest stop. The town is about a 5 minute trip from the Bruce Highway. We stopped in at the Convenience Store, so pleased we did - they made a very nice ham and salad roll! We also learned there that tennis legend, Rod Laver was born in Rockhampton but then was bought home to Malborough where his parents owned a cattle property! Onwards to Rockhampton, we located our hotel The Q Motel, which is quite well situated. The room was nice and the beds are comfy and it has the basic requirements!Home | Accommodation in Rockhampton | The Q Motel  We then headed to the Allenstown Hotel for dinner, where we got to meet a distant cousin (our common ancestors are our Great Great Grandmother/Grandfather). It was great to finally meet face to face.Allenstown Hotel, Rockhampton, QLD . Very nice food and atmosphere! Then back to the hotel to plan tomorrow and have a rest!