It was a little strange getting started on our trip again after enjoying spending time with family and friends in the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane. We were pretty excited though to be beginning the next phase of our trip even though at the time of leaving Brisbane we weren’t really sure where our final destination was. In the mean time we decided to head towards the Scenic Rim an area just inland from the Gold Coast bordering onto NSW.
We hadn’t had the best communication with the campsite that we had booked, I had left a few messages but not heard anything back but we decided to head out that way anyway and on arrival were a little surprised that no one was there and no other campers were around either. We weren’t quite sure what to do when luckily the caretaker, Darren, jumped out to greet us enthusiastically and show us to our campsite. It was a huge concrete pad on a hill above a lake…perfect.
The forecast for the next couple of days was for quite a lot of rain so we set about setting up our camp so we would be able to stay dry so it was only really that afternoon that we were able to have an explore of the campgrounds and the lakeshore and discover that the area we were in was really quite spectacularly beautiful. We found out later in our stay that the claim of the area was that it was the “Switzerland of Australia” and the green hills surrounding the lakes certainly confirmed that claim.
Unfortunately we didn’t have long to explore before the rain started and then didn’t stop for the best part of 2 days. Still we managed to stay dry while 100mm of rain fell outside…Griff managed to stay dry inside.
When it finally stopped raining and the sun came out we set off exploring and discovered that there was plenty to do. I was feeling pretty good so we even managed to go for a couple of short hikes which was fantastic!! To combat all the exercise we found a local butcher and a smokehouse which was serving some of the most authentic smoked food we have found in Australia.
The whole area had a lovely feel about it and the stores in the villages seemed to retain a degree of functionality rather than rows of chintzy stores and cafes which for us added to the enjoyment of the day trips. There was a decent hike out the back of the campsite to a waterfall and otherwise we enjoyed short drives to local villages and viewpoints. The evenings were spent around the fire and we enjoyed cooking some great meats from the butcher over the flames and we even tried our hand at a stew in the camper oven which was delicious.
While we were there South East Queensland had a huge amount of rain and thunderstorms and we seemed to spend many evenings watching and waiting for the storms to roll in. Sometimes they missed us and sometimes the didn’t!! Griff spent a couple of nights in the camper and we even had to wait one particularly close bout of lightning out in a nearby cabin! Still it’s all part of the adventure!
We had initially booked in for a couple of nights but the longer we stayed the longer we wanted to so in the end we actually stayed for 12 nights!! It was a really lovely place and it certainly helped that the campsite was pretty much our own and we were able to enjoy views of the lake right from our camper. Our enjoyment of the place wasn’t lost on the owners of the campsite who offered us the caretaker job!! Definitely something to consider in the future, I can’t believe we haven’t been here before but will definitely be back. T
