Aussie rambles 2026
6/13/2026
Hi everyone,
At the end of last year’s Oz adventure we thought we’d had enough….. now I’m writing from the coast of Queensland.
Well…. we’ve sold our caravan but still have our ute… so maybe a loop of Queensland before we hang up our akubras? And 70 is only a number. It seems that this crazy country isn’t quite done with us yet.
So a couple of weeks back we landed at Coffs Harbour, staying with mates for a few days while we sorted out camping gear, phones etc. Yes, folks, this time it’s a tent trip. Will our marriage survive two months under canvas? I hope so!
We carefully stowed everything in Snowy (and it does look like a travelling circus) - note to self : it doesn’t matter how cleverly you pack a vehicle to travel, you will ALWAYS need something that’s right at the back/bottom within the first hour.
Heading north to Brisbane, we both , unwittingly, set apple maps to navigate through the city, which meant that we had stereo Siri ,both telling us slightly different instructions, which was a little unnerving. But we made it through safely.
Next morning we picked up our daughter and 4 year old granddaughter who'd flown into Brisbane and we headed to Australian Zoo. If you’ve never been there , put it on your list. It truly is an amazing experience and testament to Steve Irwin and his family’s passion for conservation. Our wee grandie insisted on wearing her full length Rapunzel dress, which was good as it slowed her down. Try chasing a supercharged 4 year old through the African savannah (elephants, giraffes, cheetahs, tigers, rhino, meerkats) and you’ll get the picture. The staff obviously love their jobs, the animals all seem very relaxed - huge natural areas for each - and the public seem almost incidental. It took us two days to see everything! We explored the nearby rock pools at Kings Beach , meeting a venomous sea snake , and some braver members of the family swam in the sea. A visit to the Bribie Island butterfly farm topped off the treat week, then we left the girls with friends in Brisbane and began our own adventure.
First two nights camping were at Bribie Island National Park, which is a long sandy island to the north of Brisbane - urban at the south end and wilderness for the rest. We chose the DOC Poverty Creek campground about 7km down a very rough and rutted sandy track on the inland coast, which we had to ourselves apart from a lady and her grandies. And ibis, crows, magpies, spoonbills and the inevitable kookaburra. After last year's kookaburra sausage heist we were determined not to be victims again. We retreated with dinner under the tent awning with a border of parkas, bags and other stuff hung all along the edge. About 1/4 of a plate through , suddenly I was attacked from the south by a large K who deftly flew in through the side, got my sausage and took off!
If rained hard on and off while we were there and at night the police chopper flew grids over the island- we tried not to imagine who they were looking for.
We lurched and skidded our way back along the track in the rain and headed to the Bribie Island Art Centre for coffee, cake and the book exchange , a great combo .
Note: book exchanges are good on this side of Oz- so far I’ve enjoyed two Dan Browns, Billy Connolly’s autobiography, Jojo Moyes and Robbie is just reading a book about Eucalypts.
A quick catch up with friends who live on Bribie then off to our next campsite at Bunya Mountain.
BM National Park is about 200km inland and is an area of extinct volcanic lava flows from about 23,000,000 years ago. The mountain is clad in rainforest and Bunya pine, which is very similar to NZ kauri though doesn’t seem to be related. Some of the trunks of these massive trees still have the footholds cut by aborigines who climbed them to pick the nuts for food.
It poured on and off for the two days we stayed, but we still managed a nice bushwalk and just retreated to our sleeping bags with our books when it got too wet! I felt for the Steiner school camp which was happening next to us (in very small tents ) but the kids seemed quite happy.
We packed up early in the morning in the rain and headed back east to the coast , passing through lots of small rural towns. I really enjoy Oz place names. Can you imagine telling someone that you live in Burpengary?
The drive out to the coast wanders through enormous avocado farms and sugar cane plantations, eventually reaching the resort town of Agnes Waters.
As we needed to dry out our gear (including, we realised , our passports!) we booked a cabin for the weekend at The Town of 1770 (great name, too) where Captain Cook briefly landed in - you guessed it, 1770. And claimed the place for England, which was unfortunate for the people who already occupied it. But I guess if he hadn’t then someone else would have shortly after. After enjoying a roast bustard and doing a few running repairs to the Endeavour they headed north again . Rather them than me , as the Coral sea here has claimed a lot of boats and a lot of lives.
This morning we climbed to the top of the headland and looked down at the waves smashing the rocks below us, a sobering sight.
Next week we’ll continue the journey north again , I hope that you'll enjoy wandering along with us - and yes, the sketchbook has finally come out.
Jan :)
Jan Thomson
New Zealand Artist & Tutor
© All Images Copyright © Jan Thomson, All Rights Reserved.
