Three Birthdays and a Whole Lot of Driving

From the Outback to the Ocean

If there was a theme for this month of travelling Australia, it would be: Drive. Pack up. Drive some more!

Some months of caravan life are slow mornings outside the van, campfires and finding incredible campsites you never want to leave.

And then there are months like this one.

We covered some serious ground, travelling from Uluru to Coffs Harbour and then all the way north to Port Douglas. There was a lot of driving, packing up and probably far too many servo snacks.

Birthday Celebrations in Coffs Harbour

We arrived in Coffs Harbour just in time for Banksy’s 5th birthday, staying at BIG4 Coffs Harbour Holiday Park. His best friend came to surprise him, and we decided the best way to celebrate was to take to the treetops. Literally.

Treetops Adventure Coffs Harbour has courses for both adults and kids and was such a fun family activity. The kids absolutely LOVED it! After birthday cake, a piñata and enough sugar to fuel the next leg of our trip, we were back on the road.

Caravan tip: On big driving weeks, break the kilometres up with something the kids will genuinely look forward to. A playground, swim or attraction can completely change the mood after hours in the car and by “the mood,” I mostly mean ours.

A Tiny Stanthorpe Escape

After covering so much ground, we treated ourselves to a stay at Tiny Away Stanthorpe, swapping the caravan for the most beautiful tiny home overlooking the water.

We wandered the farmers markets, visited the Christmas Farm (an absolute must with kids), enjoyed foggy mornings over the water and explored Girraween National Park.

Of course, we couldn’t visit without climbing The Pyramid. Would you take your chances climbing it? We did. Views were EPIC.

Following the Queensland Coast

From Stanthorpe, we headed back to the coast, stopping at Tallebudgera Creek Tourist Park and BIG4 Park Lane Noosa North Shore.

Being back in Queensland also meant being back in my home state, so we spent plenty of time catching up with old friends as we continued north.

This part of the trip reminded us that not every stop needs an itinerary. Sometimes you just need a caravan park with a pool, somewhere for the kids to run and a decent shower.

The Race to Port Douglas

We were on a bit of a time crunch because we needed to reach Port Douglas for Matt’s mum’s 60th birthday.

Once there, we parked up the caravan and swapped caravan life for a week at the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort. Incredible weather, great food and even better company made it the perfect place to celebrate.

Then, just to squeeze one more celebration into the month, it was my birthday too, which we celebrated with a beautiful sunset cruise off the coast of Port Douglas.

We finished the month further north in the Daintree, staying at Daintree Beach Resort and finally slowing down amongst the rainforest.

Some months you’re sitting around a campfire watching the sunset.

Other months you’re three hours into a seven-hour drive, someone’s asking “are we there yet” for the 47th time and you’re passing snacks into the back seat like your life depends on it.

Both are part of the adventure.

Now though? Just when I thought we’d done enough driving. Western Australia seems to be calling us. AGAIN.

– Tiarna

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