We have made it to Airlie Beach but we were a little late after a small encounter with a tow truck.
The other morning we left Yeppoon bound for the sun and crystal clear water of Airlie Beach however about an hour north of Rockhampton, trouble struck. We went to pull over for a toilet break but after John hit the brakes – We didn’t have any! Quick thinking from him and we managed to pull up using the hand brake and the electric caravan brakes. We found out that we had snapped a brake line and lost all the fluid.
After a bit of road side bush mechanics, we tried to get on the road again but it was a bit dicey so the decision was made to call RACQ and arrange a tow truck. We were literally in the middle of nowhere and didn’t know what we were going to do or where to go. It all panned out in the end and the truck towed us north to their work shop at a place called Carmila. A small country town that had a pub, servo, mechanical workshop and lucky for us a caravan park.
We sat the next day out in the van catching upon emails, some long awaited phone calls and some kids schooling. We managed to get back on the road by 3pm that day and repointed the Hilux north again for Airlie Beach.
We arrived at the Big 4 Adventure Whitsunday Resort under the cover of darkness but this park looked awesome in the dark and we couldn’t wait to see what it offered in daylight. We unpacked in the rain again and decided that a late evening swim was in order – the pool is 28 degrees all year round so it was far from cold.
What a park! We almost didn’t leave to actually explore Airlie this park had us anchored with water sides, craft mornings for children, treasure hunts, outdoor movies, pancake breakfast so big they poured over the plate, mini golf and the list goes on.
We managed a drive around and what a picturesque town. The marinas blew our mind with some boats worth some serious dollars. The beaches looked absolutely beautiful on the brochures, but that was as far as we got.
We copped bad weather 🙁 our entire stay which was really disappointing as I had my heart set on sky diving and our family was keen for snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef. It’s been over a week in the rain and to be honest our children are taking to it with a far greater attitude than John and I. They seem fine taking to life like sardines while Johnny and I are becoming a little irritated. They made us laugh one night, all dancing wearing next to nothing in a massive down pour. It attracted a lot of laughs and attention from fellow travellers.
Up until now, this trip has been rainbows and lolly pops, but in the rain I find it testing. We are visiting amazing places but not experiencing the fullness of what they have to offer and also getting a little cramped in the van. We have worked really hard with trying to steer our children towards positive attitudes in all situations. Charlie actually reminded us that rain can also be fun “cos Mummy you get to ride through puddles, kick puddles and it’s a cool sound when you sleep”. And you can always swim in the rain – it doesn’t matter about getting wet.
Initially before we came away, we had planned to do a little free camping but the caravan parks have far too much to offer us as a family with small children. We find that we are spending a lot less money due to the parks offering so much entertainment and on site attractions plus I’m a total people person and loving meeting so many new faces.
One thing we are grateful for and that was roadside cover. We have roadside cover with RACQ and upgraded it before we left. Thanks to it we got our car, caravan and us transported north and a nights accommodation at the nearest caravan park paid for. The tow truck driver said it would have been a $600 tow. It is well worth the investment!
Talk soon from Tropical QLD.
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