A longer break right on the beach

Days 25 - Hervey Bay - 14.09.2018

Hello my loved ones at home,

another and hopefully exciting day awaited us! We were still in Bundaberg and woke up in our van, which had become much too warm. Today we planned to continue driving to the beach town called Hervey Bay, which is about 110 km away. In the morning, Janina and I met a nice German couple who studied business administration while washing dishes in the camp kitchen. We talked for a while and exchanged experiences. Nathalie and Sebastian, who were 23 and 24 years old respectively, were on the same wavelength and we got along well. It was nice to talk to fellow backpackers in our own language for a little longer. However, the discussion with the two delayed our departure by at least 1 1/2 hours. The four of us planned the rest of the trip and discussed together which of the many options would be the right one. Since Nathalie & Sebastian were also heading south, we decided to drive to Hervey Bay. The city with a kilometer-long esplanade is said to shine with beautiful beaches, small markets, and clear water. Since the weekend was about to start, we hoped that there would be a lot going on.

But before the 1:20 hour drive started, Janina & I went to the rum, vodka, gin, and whiskey distillery 'Kalki Moon' in Bundaberg. This small family business started with rum production and expanded further and further. Despite all this, they 'only' had a small warehouse to produce their various spirits. Even the packaging of the individual bottles is done manually. We read about a free 'tour' and asked at the reception. The wife of the distiller and owner of 'Kalki Moon' showed us around and told us interesting things about the history, production processes, and successes of the distillery. One of the two gins ultimately received first place and shone in the Australian newspaper with this headline: 'GOLD: Bundaberg brewery Kalkie Moon took out first place at the 2018 Australian Distilled Spirits Competition'. In addition, this gin was crowned one of the best gins worldwide (!).

In the end, we were allowed to take some samples. I bought a bottle and we made our way to Hervey Bay.

My 'WikiCamps' app showed me many different campsites, so it was once again weighing prices and reviews! In the end, I chose a beautiful place called 'Scarness Beachfront Tourist Park', which was located right on the beach. It made a very well-maintained and inviting impression. Our pitch was right next to the camp kitchen and not far from the showers and toilets. A very good place! As always, we unpacked our chairs and table and took a stroll around the campsite. In the afternoon, we had arranged to meet Nathalie and Sebastian via SMS to walk along the beach and explore the area. At 4.30 p.m., the two of them passed our campsite on the beach. They had found another place to stay. Against the sun, which was already slowly setting in the west, we walked barefoot on the warm sand. Gradually, several restaurants with a sea view, barbecue areas, playgrounds, and many trees appeared on the promenade, on which thousands of Australian flying foxes were found or flew around in the air. They made a deafening noise and flew around wildly or hung upside down in the many branches. As it turned out, the approximately 700-gram animals were 'grey-headed flying foxes', which are exclusively native to eastern Australia. As soon as dusk sets in, they go in search of food and leave their so-called 'camps'. We took some photos (as always ;) ) and took Nathalie and Sebastian to their campsite. Janina and I slowly walked back and enjoyed the panoramic view. We discovered a nice beach bar for the next day, when we wanted to meet the two again in the evening.

1449 kilometers away from our starting point Cairns, it is already pitch dark here around 6 p.m. So our day ended at around 9.30 p.m., as we usually get up early in the morning. We decided to stay two more days at this great and really beautiful place. It was time for the holiday feeling, which sometimes disappeared too quickly due to constant arrivals and departures, to set in and to stay in one place for several days. Since Hervey Bay was a suitable spot, the decision was easy for us...