Over the last couple of weeks we have made our way south along the QLD from Yeppoon. The distance between towns is a lot shorter now and I guess the general vibe of our travels has changed pace slightly. I suspect there are a few reasons for this, the main one probably being that we all know that this amazing year of adventure is coming into its final stages and there is a sense of ‘what next’?! The other big reason is that from a geographic perspective, this part of the east coast really is vastly different from the west and the north. The population density along the east coast is a lot higher and we don’t have to travel quite so far down the road to find the next town.

Over the last eleven months, our approach to travelling has changed a lot. Early in the trip we (ok, probably more like ‘I’) wanted to know at least a week in advance where we would be staying and how we would be getting there. Now we tend to make the decision of where to next either then day before or the morning as we are travelling. I can probably count on one hand the number of times we haven’t been able to get in the first place we have tried and even then we have always found a fantastic alternative.

Now that towns are more easily accessible, it also means my forward planning on what food we need doesn’t need to be quite so organised as we are never really that far from finding something. I even remember early in the trip buying little treats for Finnie and K, like a new drawing book or little Lego set, and hiding them away to bring out when we were in the middle of nowhere. The kids have even stopped asking if they need to download any movies to their iPad for the next drive 😂

The logistics of our travel may have changed, and we may not be exploring what felt like wilderness areas, but we are still finding some incredible places to see and lots of laughs along the way.

After Yeppoon, we made our way down to Agnes Waters and the township of Seventy Seventy. The name comes from the landing of Cook in the area in May 1770, his second landing on the Australian east coast and the first landing in QLD. Apparently Captain Flinders had earlier named the area ‘Round Head’ for obvious reasons of the shape of the headland. I know that the name of seventeen seventy acknowledges the history of the area but after travelling so far across Australia and seeing such a different side to Aboriginal culture, I can’t help but wonder if maybe we got this name wrong? Names aside, it’s easy to see why Cook stopped here – it’s beautiful!

Continuing our journey south, we stopped in at Woodgate Beach just north of Hervey Bay. A small town which is probably more a tourist town with lots of the homes advertised as holiday rentals. I think we arrived at the right time (for us!) as the wind came in for our three nights at Woodgate and we enjoyed lots of fun kiting off the front near the caravan park and up at the river mouth.

One of the benefits of being on more developed camp sites is the roads are better suited to the kids skateboards and Kiera has finally brought out the roller boots that have been hidden under her bed for almost a year!

Our next stop after Woodgate Beach was the much anticipated ‘Sunny Coast’. This area has been a hot topic of conversation for so many months and I guess we were all a little excited and perhaps somewhat anxious to just get there and see what we thought of the area that we may decide to call home for a year.

As we usually do, first thing we did after arriving in an area was hit the beach. Unfortunately this meant arriving at Noosa Main Beach on a beautiful Sunday afternoon…. Hmmmmm. Perhaps the busiest place we have encounter all year but it’s easy to see why. The lines of waves were rolling in around the headland meaning more surfers in the water than I think I have ever seen and the coastline really is beautiful. The town of Noosa itself is clearly holiday central with fancy appartments and shops. I am not sure what I was really expecting but it wasn’t this.

Over the course of a week staying in Tewantin, just outside of Noosa, the area has really grown on us and you can see why so many people flock here. Away from Noosa main beach, there seems to be an endless stretch of coastline to explore and enjoy, most of which is relatively quiet. It’s like a quieter version of the Northern Beaches in Sydney (only these beaches are dog friendly) – maybe that’s why we like the vibe?!

We took a walk up Mount Coolum to get a feel for the lay of the land – a great way to appreciate the beautiful scenery of the area. There is no doubt that this week has been a strange week as far as our travel adventures have gone, with some big decisions made for next year, but we feel good and more importantly we feel excited about what 2023 has in store for the Hallchurch’s!