I love Mooloolaba…It’s such a fantastic, vibey place fronting a beautiful beach. Feeling the holiday drawing to a close, I dragged myself out of bed just after 6am and snuck out of the tent. Threw the boardies on and headed down to the beach for a few early waves. The water perfect and not a cloud in the sky…sensational!!
A short 3min stroll back to camp where I was greeted by Harps ready to start her day. So off we went for a wander up to the Esplanade to source a loaf of bread coffee and a hot chocolate for Ethan. Upon our return, I decided to kick the car over to make sure it would start. At first go, there was a delay before a whirring sound came from under the bonnet, strikingly similar to when we started having problems in Cairns.
I tried again and this time it started. As I walked back towards the tent, Ethan summoned “is it playing up again? that noise sounded like the compressor (onboard air)...” I then sheepishly returned to the Prado to find the air compressor was switched on, and likely to have been since we assisted the stranded travellers at Archer River…well over a week ago!!. With the ‘strange’ noise sorted, I headed off to Battery World in Maroochydore to have the battery checked. A quick diagnostic check by the helpful manager confirmed all was in order with the battery and the recently installed alternator was doing its job correctly. Phew!!
I returned to the campsite to find the inside packed, with Clare and E starting on the outside. We had initiated the ‘stress free pack up’ this morning, and it worked like a charm. We just took our time, no rush and got it done. Eventually the camper was packed and we were on our way at 10:15am, just 15mins past our intended departure time.
We hit the road and headed south for our lunch stop with Aunty Sue at Lennox Head. I felt a little deflated as we crossed the border back into NSW. It really hit home that our journey in the north of Australia was winding down. Plus we lost an hour!!! We arrived just on 3pm, but with a further 2.5hrs to drive after lunch, we had to stay on track. We agreed a 1hr stop was best and allowed time for Harps to have a quick bath, and E to have a shower. After a fantastic lunch of quiche and salad prepared for us by Aunty Sue, Clare started the bath for Harps and I headed off to the Lennox Esplanade for a couple of quick photos and some necessities.
As best we tried, we departed 15mins later than anticipated, but it was good for all of us to have a bit of a break out of the car. After a quick farewell, we reluctantly left Lennox (we hate leaving there – it’s so beautiful and relaxing) and headed towards Coffs Harbour, our destination for the night.
As we travelled south through Grafton, the rains hit. For a moment, the trailer looked brand new again and we thanked the weather for assisting in the dreaded clean up once home – but the win was short lived with the wind soon drying out the trailer, returning to its ochre red colour courtesy of Cape York. With wet weather upon us and an ETA of around 6:30pm, we were concerned with facing our first wet weather set up on our last night of the trip. A snap poll was conducted and a call made to the BIG4 at Emerald Beach to check on availability of a cabin for us weary travellers. With confirmation we could have either a site or a cabin, the mood lifted as we approached the outskirts of Coffs.
Having arrived on the doorstep of the closed office, a quick call on the night intercom summoned the night manager who promptly provided a set of keys to cabin 99. Both Ethan and Harper were very excited once the key was turned, Ethan comfortable in the knowledge there would be no set up/pack up this time.
Unfortunately we were underprepared in the food stakes and being a Monday evening, nothing in Emerald Beach was open. Clare nominated me to head to the nearest Maccas and organise dinner. I immediately jumped in the car, with no idea where I was going, and looked for the nearest McDonald’s – 19kms south in Coffs!! By the time I got back, the food quaility was lacking as was my appetite, but at least Clare could call off the search party…
Rookie mistake of the day – not taking into account the time change once we crossed the border into NSW. This may have led to a quicker pack up at Mooloolaba.
Interesting fact of the day – According to the CSIRO, Coffs Harbour has the most liveable climate in Australia. We all think Coffs Harbour’s economy is based mainly on bananas but in truth the bananas have been superseded by blueberries.
Riff to Tip 2014 
Excellent entry. One can now feel the relaxation within the script after such a magnificent accomplishment and a little sadness that it is nearly all over. So very proud of all concerned Magic, just really magic.
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