Day 47 Bargara Beach to Noosa

All day yesterday, we were watching the weather anxiously, hoping that we would not have hitch up in the rain.  Things were quite calm when we went to bed and we were quietly confident that things would be all right in the morning.  At about 4.00 am the heavens opened.  The wind and rain were so strong that it felt as though someone was hosing the caravan with a fire hose.  The severe downpour did not last all that long but was followed by a light but persistent rain which continued after we fell asleep.  We were totally surprised when we woke up to discover a brilliant blue sky and hardly any cloud.  The rain band had passed over us and we enjoyed fine weather while we were packing up and all the way to Noosa.  One good thing about this rain;  it showed that the caravan is leak-proof , not one drop of water!

Although we travelled 275 kms on busy roads, the time passed quickly.  Again, the road was good although the speed limit was reduced to 80 and 90 kph for long stretches.  On the other hand, we came across a stretch about 40 kms north of Noosa which was labelled MI and was a superbly surfaced double lane divided highway with a speed limit of 110.  I was rash enough to think that we were going to enjoy this road all the way to the Noosa turn-off.  However, it came to an end after about 10 kms.  Judging by the large scale earthworks and road building that we then saw from time to time just off the alignment of the present highway, I think we had experienced a taste of things to come.

The other thing that we noticed on the trip  down was the change in scenery.  Once we got past Maryborough, the type and colour of the vegetation changed and so did the shape of the hills and mountains on either side of us.  Suddenly we were seeing trees and grasses that are the same at that of southern NSW on the way to Melbourne while the landscape was much more like what we are used to.  No longer were we seeing the spectacular, steep and craggy mountain shapes that are typical of Far North Queensland.

We are staying at Noosa Caravan Park, which is actually in Tewantin.  We haven't had a good look at it yet.  But what we have seen, has impressed us.  It is very neat and tidy, well grassed and with plenty of shady vegetation. The powered sites all come complete  with slabs.  They are rather tight and the roadways are not all that wide.  However, the park staff guided us in expertly and we were able to set up without any stress or strain. A good reason for coming back.

We are looking forward to a good night's sleep tonight after last night's excitement.

We will have a look around Noosa tomorrow and hopefully we will have some photos to share tomorrow night.