ANOTHER SEASIDE GEM DISCOVERED - WONDERFUL WOODGATE BEACH - THE CARAVAN PARK TO START WITH (6 - 15 MAY 2017)

Woodgate Beach has been on our radar for years. We met a couple in Blackall in 2010 who lived there. They waxed lyrical about the beauty of the beach and the amenity of the town, which is essentially a home for those who have retired and others who are on holiday.

In the past we have by-passed the area in favour of time spent on the Great Sandy Strait and at nearby Hervey Bay where we had been catching up with friends, but this year we took the conscious decision to visit alternative towns as we travelled north, particularly some about which we had heard much.

True to style, I'm about to by-pass the familiar territory we traversed en route, north out of Brisbane and on to the Bruce Highway, through Gympie, Maryborough and Childers where we turned east to the coast.

One stop I must mention, however, is a small establishment on the Tin Can Bay Road about 20 kms east of Gympie. The Goomboorian Cafe and associated small bush caravan park is a 'blink and you'll miss it' spot, as this aerial photo demonstrates (thanks to "commercialpropertyguide" ) but for any pie loving gastronome 'in the know', a trip through here demands that a stop is made.

The Goomboorian lamb shank pies are as delicious as they are different. I was introduced to the delights of these melt in the mouth pastries with their generous fillings of shredded succulent lamb shank meat whilst staying at the nearby Standown Park last year. Crisp crusts, ample gravy and a hint of mint.....they are sensational, and for these I'll always make a departure from my normal reluctance to eat pastry. Thankfully the freezer could accommodate six of these beauties for 'ron'.

So, having sung the well deserved praises of the kitchens of Goomboorian, on to Woodgate, where, after making our way along a goodly section of the five kilometre Esplanade, 

we pulled up at the entrance to the large caravan park which is located right across the roadway from the beach.

Given that we really did use our time here to explore the town and the area in detail, snapping away ferociously, editorial logic and convenience demands that I present this town as a series. Today it is the Woodgate Beach Tourist Park, the winter venue of two to four months for many, but for us our home away from home for a mere ten days.....this year!

Let me again rely on my old friend Google Earth to provide some perspective.  As you can now see Woodgate Beach is actually on the western shore of Hervey Bay and lies about midway between the town of the same name and the larger city of Bundaberg to the north. The protection offered by the northern half of Fraser Island means that the large pounding swells of the Pacific are blunted, as are the worst effects of the prevailing south-easterly winds of this time of year, and the fine sand of this part of the coast is a real feature of the beach at Woodgate. 

But more of that later...for now our digs.  The Woodgate Beach Tourist Park is nothing if not large. At this time of the year, there were empty sites aplenty, but this situation changes rapidly with the approach of June. The Mexicans pour in here in their dozens, and, as we were told by more than one fellow camper with experience of this park, things can be come quite clicky. We deliberately chose 'the shoulder' for our first real visit, and were glad we did so. It gave us clear air and the chance to have a very good look around without hassle.


Here at Woodgate, park management does take advantage of their position. On one side of the entrance roadway is the park cafe (sub-let we believe) where one can take one's ease over breakky, morning coffee and cake, a light luncheon or partake of an evening meal by 'candlelight'. Take-away is also on offer.  We cannot attest as to the quality or prices....we preferred to toddle down the Esplanade to the nearby Woodgate Club.


The park cafe caters for not only those in residence, but the general visiting public as well. From what we saw on the weekend in particular, it is a flourishing business (apart from when the weather makes everything outdoors miserable as it did on occasion).


The large park office building also houses a reasonably stocked convenience store and provides a fuel service for those who have not had the forethought to fill at Childers, Hervey Bay or Bundaberg (many long-termers here make a fortnightly pilgrimage to these larger towns for re-supply). The fuel in particular comes at a cost....a premium cost. We had no need to top up our tanks fortunately.



The park convenience store is just that....convenient.  It seemed to contain all the fundamental necessities of camp life, but again we cannot comment further. We gave our custom to the folks of the town IGA.




As we hove to at the office, we were more than impressed with the gardens which surround the cafe seating area and with the quality of a few cabins which have a prime position here at the front of the park.












With our dues paid and directions to our site tucked under our belts, we made our way slowly down the quite narrow entrance roadway,













turned left through one of the more shaded sections of the park,














and thence continued past the pathway to one of the two large ablution blocks












and onto our site about midway towards the rear of the park.

Given that we'd never darkened this doorstep before, we were not in a position to express any preferences, and merely set up where we had been told to. I was a little put off initially by the fact that this section of the park is very sandy underfoot, until I had the time to take a good look around when I discovered that this is par for the course at Woodgate Beach. 

We can do sand....out came the smaller of our two C-Gear floors which provided a good clean entranceway to the large slab over which we extended the awning. Grit is a real bugger in a van, and I was determined to make life comfortable.




As it turned out our site had a couple of real advantages (apart from a rear neighbour who initially insisted on taking short cut through it to the bins across the road....that soon stopped!). As the weather turned sour on us for a day or so, we luxuriated in the shelter of a thick row of palms at our rear. These provided a marvellous windbreak.







Larger trees beyond this hedgerow and at the front of the van were ideal for shade on the hotter days, 










and our site next to a park cabin meant that we did not really have a neighbour on the 'business side' of the van. The only drawback came in the form of a distinctly marginal TV signal, but this was a small and insignificant price to pay for the other conveniences.









These site boons extended to the fact that the large














and well appointed camp kitchen with oodles of seating












and good cooking facilities was but a short step across the road from us.









We did take advantage of the BBQ plates here on one occasion.....marinated steak and chicken is something of a challenge on the slotted hot plate of the Baby Q....in fact it is downright impossible!









As is the case in most good parks, the camping sites are all to be found near the camp kitchen. We could see across this area from our 'front verandah'.











Despite the difficulty sandy soil presents in terms of grass maintenance, some attempts were being made in several sections of the park.  This nearby patch was, in golfing terms, GUR (ground under repair) and remained vacant throughout our stay.




The Woodgate Beach Tourist Park is really a park in two parts.  The rear section is comparatively open, sandy and with limited shade, whilst the front section supports lush garden areas and much more dense overhead foliage.

A gateway off the main road at the rear of the park allows ingress for the larger of the visiting vehicles. Given the narrow pavements of the front entrance, this is almost obligatory.










The 'biggies' are accommodated in the broad expanses of this area of the park (not that this was at all crowded during our stay). This patch is also available for those wanting comparative isolation.









Here too we find one of the several shaded BBQ points,














and the larger and more modern of the two park amenities blocks. Liz used this one and reported it as being very functional.











I preferred to walk though the usually vacant camping area to the other set of ablutions which, whilst older were equally functional.










As I mentioned earlier, the front section of the park is quite different to the rear, and not surprisingly, was more popular. Here beautiful gardens border most of the roadways,













and good shade is a feature of most sites.











A walk out of the park under the canopy of large trees along the exit roadway














took us past another row of very well found park cabins with the azure blue sea sparkling invitingly on the horizon.  








For those with a limited budget, park donga accommodation is available, and as we checked this out we came across one of the most extraordinary sights we have seen in in a park....a fully equipped mobile roaster oven on its large trailer. So?  It had been towed all the way from Western Australia!







And before I conclude this tour of the Woodgate Beach Tourist Park, I must include another van with a difference. As I was wandering around happy snapping, this tiny little mobile home appeared through the trees. We have both agree this rates as one of the smallest we have ever seen. It probably comes as no surprise to learn it sheltered a sole occupant only.

Well, that's it for the park. In my next few offerings, we shall explore the delightful township and the nearby parklands, make the most of the sensational (for the east coast) beach and two nearby creeks, meet some of the locals (including another incredible coincidence), and have a close encounter or two with the plague like 'Woodgate Rats'.

A FEW KIRRA BEACH SNIPPETS (27 APRIL - 4 MAY 2017)

Although a great deal of our time at Kirra was taken up with the compliance plate matter, several re-supply trips to the local supermarkets and catching up with an old work mate, we did manage to get out and about a little. Our efforts with the camera were minimal to say the least, but hopefully the few shots we took will give you some idea of our environment.

Kirra Beach is at the southern end of the Gold Coast area, immediately north of the QLD/NSW border and the twin towns of Coolangatta (QLD) and Tweed Heads (NSW). For many years this beach has hosted the Australian SLSA Championships (when they are not in WA), and once I had seen the beach itself I could understand why.

One of our jaunts took us up to the lookout atop one of the many coastal hills which are a real feature of this area. From a spot next to the seriously impressive sea eagle statue  










we could overlook the beaches to the north (here seen at low tide), including Kirra, North Kirra, Bilinga and Tugun 










whilst to the south we could see along Rainbow Beach to the pines crowning the low peak of the Greenmount headland. Just beyond that is the mouth of the Tweed River and the northern coastal border of New South Wales.










From here too, well past the small surf breaking on Kirra Beach, the jagged skyline of the high rise buildings of Surfers Paradise stood out against the hazy horizon










as did the much closer apartment blocks of the Coolangatta beachfront in the other direction.









As we made our way down the path from the lookout, we had a good view of the gabled red roof of the building which houses a pizza palace, and more importantly











at the northern end, the Kirra Surf Lifesaving Club.












We ascended the roadside entrance stairs of this august old building on more than one occasion during our stay.







The clubhouses of the nearby North Kirra and Coolangatta surf clubs were larger and much more modern, but for us the 'lived in' feel of Kirra SLSC suited ideally. Here the drinks prices were reasonable, particularly during the regular afternoon happy hours, and the food was anything but yuppie!


For those with an inclination to ramble, which very much includes the Mobile Marshies (this time on foot), beach front walking paths extend in both directions from Kirra Beach. We managed to hoof it from Greenmount in the south to Tugun in the opposite direction (not on the same day) past the front yards of the lucky folk who can afford to live here.






At regular points along the walking path, access tracks lead down to the broad expanse of sand and for the time being at least, the blessedly benign breakers beyond. Looking out over this scene of seaside serenity, it was hard to grasp the fact that the most recent Australian surf titles being held here a month or so ago were actually washed out (Cyclone Debbie's reach was extensive!)





The surf can certainly pound in along this coast, and at each of these access tracks a cautionary notice details the potential dangers of the waves and rips and the distance in both directions to the nearest surf club and patrolled beach. I did mentally challenge the efficacy of these as a deterrent to those with limited swimming skills. From this point, for example, the nearest sets of red and yellow flags are more than half a kilometre in one direction and double that in the other. 


As I mentioned before, we do plan to return to this area at some stage to socialise with old work mates and explore the 'twin towns' in more depth without the pressure of compliance plate business. Having previously spent some time at the other end of 'the coast' at Main Beach (Southport), we find this end of the strip much more to our liking.....still frightfully busy, but thankfully devoid to a large extent of the ratbags, hoons, bikies, druggies and spoilt brats who make the canyons of Cavel Street and beyond their stamping ground.

So for now, these few snippets are all we have to offer of our stay here in Kirra. By the time we had completed what we came here to do, we were more than ready to depart the 'big smoke' for the comparative comfort of a quieter beach well north of the glitz and glamour of the Gold Coast. With one overnight en route, Woodgate Beach here we come!

A WEIGHTY MATTER - IT'S ALL ABOUT COMPLIANCE (APRIL- MAY 2017)

Tare mass, gross trailer mass (GTM), aggregate trailer mass (ATM), combined vehicle mass (CVM), group axle loading limit, ball weight, maximum tow ball and tow hitch limits, maximum vehicle towing capacity.....!!!!  

Are we having fun yet?

Believe it or not these are all weights and/or limits which are not only relevant to safe towing, but can land those who are non-compliant in legal hot water......increasingly so if the rumours are to be believed. They apply to both the towing vehicle and the van. 

A very quick explanation for those who might be interested. Every caravan leaves the manufacturer with a compliance plate which details these weights and limits. Similarly, every vehicle manufacturer sets limits on what that vehicle can tow. Adherence to these limits is legally mandated. General compliance throughout the caravanning world is another matter altogether. 

Responsibility for ensuring these laws are obeyed rests with inspection staff of the Departments of Transport in the various States, lovingly known universally as 'scalies'. The battles between them and the 'truckies' over loading weights and driving hours is a thing of highway legend and even a hit song or two.

Throughout the past year or so we have been hearing increasing numbers of camp fire stories about grey nomads being pulled over at highway transport checking stations where their rigs are put over the weighbridges, with some interesting results. Offloading tales are common, and in a worst case scenario we have heard of one driver who was ordered to unhitch and leave his van at the check point until he returned with a towing vehicle of a higher rating.

Despite the fact that we have yet to hear first hand from anyone affected thus, the rumours persist, with particular focus on increasing activity in the eastern states. I decided it was high time that we ensured that we would not fall foul of some over zealous transport official and could drive towards an open checking station without a rapidly accelerating heart rate.

In truth, we have suspected for some time that whilst we have never exceeded the legal towing capacity of the Cruiser (3,500 kgs) and all our towing components are appropriately rated, we may have been stretching a friendship on occasions in relation to the load in the van, particularly when our water tanks are full.

So what to do about it became the question. We knew that some re-engineering could be possible to allow for an increased load capacity, and finally ran down the name of a chap in Gympie who does this work. Unfortunately when I contacted him I discovered that the powers that be within the Qld Department of Transport had revoked his certifications (a long and stultifying stupid bureaucratic story!). Even more irritating was the news that had we been a week earlier he was still 'legal'. 

To compound our woes, this most obliging chap also informed us that the Department in its infinite wisdom had not developed a list of those who were now accredited, merely one of those who were not.  Bugger...plan B!

Let me cut to the chase. Further enquiries identified a firm in Currumbin Waters which does this sort of work. E-mail correspondence confirmed this. And so it was that we came down over the range and found ourselves at Kirra rather than further up the coast.

But, as I had suspected, this was not to be a quick process. Before we arrived at the Kirra park, we had detoured into the (crowded and busy) industrial section of nearby Currumbin Waters where the redoubtable Robbie from A to Z Imports made a preliminary inspection of the van and declared that a modification was possible. Step one completed.

The most critical components in this whole business are the axles and their group load rating. Robbie suspected we may need to upgrade them, but unfortunately A to Z do not do not do this work.

Step two.....take the van to another nearby firm which specialises in trailer axles. Here we discovered that Rod, the man to see, was at the Coolangatta Airport, about to  board a flight to Melbourne. In a quick phone chat he told me to ring him Monday (despite the fact that this was a public holiday in Queensland).

Step three...extend our stay at the park until at least Tuesday.

Step four.....rang Rod as arranged. What a champion man he turned out to be. "Pete, if you can take a wheel off I'll come round to your park just after lunch and have a look at what needs doing." "Done."

Step five.....remove a wheel, a task made much easier with the use of our park neighbour's massive wheel nut wrench. I had almost completed this job when The Matron launched....."why are you wearing a white top?" Good question....no rational answer.  

Step six....change shirts.

Step seven......lift all the van stabiliser legs, loosen the awning guy ropes and the shade cloth pegs, remove the two stay jacks under the A frame and hitch the van to the Cruiser to free up the jack.

Step eight......jack up the van.

Step nine....remove  a wheel.

Step ten.....await Rod's arrival to inspect the axles, hubs, brake capacity, springs, U bolts, chassis, rims and tyres.

These were anxious moments for The Treasurer.  We already knew that the cost to replace our axles with those of a higher rating would set us back something in the order of $2,500. Another potential snag lay in the fact that Rod would have to order these in from Brisbane or make them himself....another potential delay. This was all becoming bigger than Ben Hur, but we were agreed it had to be done.

Step eleven....on cue Rod arrived at the park with his trusty assistant John. They were soon on hands and knees peering and prodding under the van. Liz and I waited with feigned patience. 

And then we received the best bit of news we have had for ages. Rod was at a loss to understand why our van compliance plate displayed a group axle rating of 2,900 kgs. "Pete, your axles are rated to 3,300 kgs. There is no need to replace anything to achieve the extra load capacity you are after."  Not only that, but he assured us that all the other relevant components and systems were capable of taking an increased load.  The only sight quibble related to the U bolts which should have been 1/8 inch larger in diameter. "We won't say anything if you don't!"  Done deal!

As if this news was not good enough in itself, Rod adamantly refused payment of any kind for his time, but did happily accept a carton of his favourite brew which we delivered to his workshop the following day. It transpired that he has been a regular visitor to our winter haunt of Kurrimine Beach... we parted good mates for more than one reason.

Whilst we were delighted with the news about our axles, I was confused as to why our compliance plate was so wrong.  

Then I made an infuriating discovery.  Roma caravans fit the heavier axles as a matter of course to vans over a certain length. We already knew that ours was a foot longer than the spec, but what we did not know until now was that we had the heavier axles and that all the weights limits listed on our compliance plate were understated. Left and and right hand???

Step eleven......replace the wheel and reset the van and all that was hanging off it. 

Step twelve.......pop the cork on one of our best bottles of bubbly!

Step thirteen.....ring Robbie and arrange for the second inspection of the van as the pre-requisite to the compliance report which would upgrade all our weight details. Murphy's law.....this could not be done until the following Friday.

Step fourteen....extend our booking in the park again.

And finally, after a planned stay of three days had morphed out into eight, it was a return to the back streets of Currumbin Waters where....

Step fifteen.....the final inspection including chassis and wheel spacing measurements

and photographs of every conceivable component which may have anything to do with the final report were completed.

Step sixteen.....back to the A to Z office where I parted with $350 and left with the assurance that Robbie (who was in Toowoomba at the time) would e-mail the full compliance report in a few days. Reluctant as we are to pre-pay for anything, we took the punt, handed over the required fee and finally left the Gold Coast rejoicing.

Then of course, there was the increasingly anxious wait as the promised deadline came and went. By the time I was getting ready to bark down the phone, our electronic screen lit up with pages of text......our report had arrived. 

Step seventeen......print off a hard copy for our files. 

Was it all worth it remains the burning question. Indeed it was. We can now legally and safely increase our GTM by just under 400 kgs, a massive increase (I won't bore or confuse you with all the other figures.......but they all work).

And finally, step eighteen.........out of curiosity and to be even more certain of our status, some two weeks later, as we made our way into Gladstone, we detoured via a scrap metal dealership on the outskirts of town.

Here I edged the rig over the weighbridge as instructed, did a U turn in the yard beyond

and came back to firstly position the entire rig and then the van itself (initially hitched and then disconnected) on the weighing platform.

From her window overlooking the weighbridge, the most obliging Ann-Marie called out the various weights for Liz to record and because we did not need a formal certificate, this service was free of charge. 

More good news. These results confirmed that all the critical weights (CVM, GTM, ATM and ball weight...the mass bearing directly on the tow ball) were within our new legal limits and we still had over 250 kgs load up our sleeves.  Yippee!!!!  Safe and legal.....the scalies now hold no terror for the Mobile Marshies in the eastern states or elsewhere.  But it had been a long haul!