I must begin this missive with another 'mea culpa'. In my last about our journey from Capella to Sarina I mentioned that the coal trains we passed were heading to the loading terminal at Abbot Point. Wrong.....Abbot Point is north of Bowen.....I should have said Hay Point. I have made the necessary correction!
Now, back to the business at hand.
Sarina, a modest town of about 5,500 residents, lies astride the Bruce Highway some 35 kms south of its much larger neighbour, Mackay.
Now, back to the business at hand.
Sarina, a modest town of about 5,500 residents, lies astride the Bruce Highway some 35 kms south of its much larger neighbour, Mackay.
It hosts two caravan parks and although we have travelled through the town on more than six previous occasions (and visited the hospital twice as I have mentioned before), we have never had the time to tarry. This trip was to be different, but of course that meant we had to make a decision as to which caravan park would be favoured with our custom.
Notwithstanding all that can be read about parks throughout the country on Tripadvisor, Wikicamps and so on, we still find word of mouth is the most reliable source of information. Apart from anything else, chatting directly with a fellow traveller gives us the opportunity to do two important things.....assess their tastes and ask questions. Both provide some invaluable insights.
All we had learnt about the choices in Sarina, over some years, directed us unequivocally to the Sarina Palms Caravan Village. Here we were told to expect to find welcoming and efficient owners and management, magnificent gardens, excellent facilities, a great social atmosphere and, as a final bonus, assistance onto one's site.
We were also told to book early as many spend months here over the winter period, and that, on arrival, remain out in the street and await docking directions.
We did as we were told and pulled up outside the park office which faces out into Anzac Street whilst Liz checked in with the charming and most obliging Leanne.
She emerged to tell me that Phil would be putting us on and that I was to drive around the block to the second park entrance which was to be found in Heron Street.
I did as I was instructed and here I found Phil waiting for me at what is 'the back end' of the park. We later discovered that these are the sites reserved in the main for folks like us who are visiting for a relatively short term.
This area of the park can be a touch tight, and I was more than happy to sit back and do exactly as I was told, particularly after the concentration required over that last hour or so of our transit of the Sarina Range.
Fortunately, at the time of our arrival, this back section was not as cluttered with vans and vehicles as it can be, and Phil poked me past the clump of palms at the front of our site with little trouble.
Although this site was quite narrow, which meant that the Cruiser had to sit out the front on the roadway like everyone else,
it came with a good, even slab, limited shade and a green, grassy surround. And guess what....yep, it was still State of Origin time.....the Cane Toad flag went up immediately, and on the evening in question, Liz donned her supporter's garb (the word 'dag' comes to mind!) before we headed off to 'The Meeting Place' to watch the game.
Of course, the first thing on our mind once we had settled in was to see if our new surrounds would meet our expectations, which, from all we had been told, were rather high. They did!
The trees, lawns and gardens here are nothing short of spectacular. Everywhere we looked was green and inviting. And, as you will see, Dennis, the owner, has a penchant for collecting stuff....and as far as the park goes, this means animal statues of every kind imaginable.
This 'interesting' hobby could well lead to a real 'kitchy' look, but for some strange reason it just seems to work here. Dennis is nothing if not dedicated. Whilst we were here again in October he and his wife towed a trailer to Renmark and back over five days to pick up his latest acquisition....two old petrol bowsers!
I invite you to take note of the animals as I bring these various scenes to you.
Let me begin our tour of the park with the camp kitchen and the amenities block, both of which were about fifty metres from our site. Note the topiary in the garden in front of the head.
Whilst the sites in our area fronted onto a large gravel driveway, the remainder of the park is completely carpeted with a most excellent lawn, one which is meticulously maintained.
This shot, taken during our second visit in October as we were heading south out of FNQ, shows what I mean.
The major section of the park lies either side of the entrance off Anzac Street. Here we found some of the many park cabins,
and beyond that the rows of caravan sites,
on both sides of the roadway
as shown in these October shots when things were quiet.
For those who book early enough (and we suspect this is one of those parks where the acquisition of one of the really prime sites over the winter period can only be made possible when someone dies!) there are some delightfully secluded and shady spots on offer.
The back end of the park is also home to another set of cabins, somewhat smaller than those elsewhere, here near the facilities area,
and also along the second roadway in off Heron Street opposite the camp kitchen.
Aside from the animal statues, another real feature of this park are its pathways which lead from various sections to the general facilities area.
In sections one could be forgiven for thinking this was a formal botanic garden,
a quirky one at that,
where some of Dennis' collection, both large and small, lie behind fenced off areas
whilst others sit out in the open.
As I mentioned earlier, we enjoyed this first stay here so much we booked in for a second stint as we made our way back south. We were promised a garden site this time, and Leanne was true to her word.
This time we had a small, elephant and a brolga for company
and behind us, near 'The Meeting Place', an enormous coral trout.
I mentioned earlier that the social life here is a real feature of any stay. The focal point for most of the activity is to be found on the Anzac Street entrance roadway, where, behind this magnificent shade screen (complete with its roof top lizard)
This is, of course, The Meeting Place, which is available for all to use. Beyond the long tables and benches,
a raft of equipment allows the park managers to stage all manner of functions here.
And, as we had by now come to expect, whimsy prevails, in 'bullshit corner' and elsewhere!
Apart from regular mid morning and afternoon 'cuppa and chat' sessions to which all were invited, and the normal daily happy hour gatherings, on each Tuesday the park organises a pizza night, and on Fridays it is fish and chips. Karaoke is a feature of both events.
During our first stay the place was packed.
'Mine host' Phil, a retired Army Warrant Officer and all round good bloke, led the way on the microphone
but soon had plenty of company.
Liz was quick to meet a new mate as we all sat and waited for our pre-ordered fish suppers to be delivered from a local chippy.
Things were much quieter on our return visit, as we had expected. Apart from a few real stayers, all the wintering 'Mexicans' had fled home south of the border for another year.
Pizza night is as well organised as the fish night, but the system is different. Rather than place and pay for an individual order, the park managers arrange for the delivery of a range of pizzas for which an individual contribution of $5 per head allows participation.
In what I found to be a typically well organised system, on these occasions all participating are invited to make three selections from the large slices on offer, which are then deposited on on 'plates' made up from cut sections of the pizza box lids (how clever is that!).
Once all the paid up participants have been so served, the remainder of the food is available on an 'open slather' basis where common courtesy drives good manners!
Both these 'food' evenings provide for grand evenings of good company with a minimum of fuss for the park managers and at a cost which is far from exorbitant.
We know from our chat with both of them that Leanne and Phil will not be here at the time of our planned return in 2021 (after our return east from WA), but we are sure from all we have been told by the regulars we met that this will continue to be a very well kept and managed park.
It is now firmly on our list of preferred stay-over parks as we travel up and down the Queensland coast.
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