Tannum Sands. One of those places that Dad had driven through with Mum, and I had never been to. We’d been to Agnes Water but that was as far north as we had driven before.
On Monday 5th September, we left home for a new location. Tannum Sands, here we come.
From our home on the Sunshine Coast, it is an estimated 4hrs and 57 minutes. Thats a straight run, no stops, no delays and no roadworks. We planned to set off at 8am, and at 8 on the dot, we pulled out of the garage.
Four hundred and thirty kilometres, more roadworks than you could possibly count, two stops and a little under six hours later, we pulled into Discovery Park, Tannum Sands. This was to be our home for 5 nights.
We checked in and found that we were in Cabin 1, right at the front of the site, and looking out to the trees that sheltered the beach. The cabin was a deluxe cabin. 2 bedrooms. Shower room and separate toilet. Terracotta floor tiles throughout and reverse cycle air conditioning. It was advertised with free wi-fi, but the internet was incredibly unreliable. We used our phones as a ‘hotspot’ for the week. We were also given free membership (usually $50) of the G’Day club which entitles us to 10% from any stay in one of these parks.
We unpacked and had a drive around the local area. Found the supermarket. Found the pub and found the bottle shop.
It was looking promising for a sunset so Dad, using the Photographers Ephemeris found the best place to go for a sunset.
We headed off to Canoe Point. While it was breezy and a little chilly as the sun was going down, there was no denying this was the place to be.
After a long day yesterday, with the drive up, we decided on a relaxing day. We had seen what looked like a surf club a little way up the beach. Plan: go for a walk and get some exercise and there will be a nice cool beer at the end of it, before the stroll back. Sadly mistaken. The surf club was there but not open. The area there was particularly lovely however with plenty of barbecues and tables.
We drove up to the Tannum Sands Hotel and Motel. The beauty of places like this, is the peace and quiet. The tranquility of it all. The downside…only one place to get a real good meal. One tavern.
The 3rd day of the trip was a day that seemed driven by the weather. We had a few ideas of things to do but rain stopped play for some of it. We had a drive out to Boyne Island. There is a large smelter there, but some of the roads looked like they bypassed it and headed to beaches. Sadly this was not the case.
The evening of the third day was spent catching up with friends of Dad and my late mum. We met them for dinner at the hotel and had a great evening.
On the 4th day of our trip , the weather brightened up, so off we went to Calliope Historical Village. We had a wander round there, secretly hoping that their cafe was open for their advertising cream teas, but it wasn’t.
We headed off into Gladstone instead and stumbled on a pub that served lunch. Cajun spiced beef ribs. Dont mind if I do! And I did!!
On the final day of our trip, we took ourselves off to several places. We went to a place called Pikes Crossing. The fact that it was called “crossing” suggested it was over water. Would we find a stream, a river or a lake? The only way to find out was to go and look. It was incredibly picturesque. Admittedly some sun would have been nice, but it was still beautiful to see.
All week, Dad had been talking about Tannum Sands and how he couldn’t work out where he and Mum had stayed. He knew they’d only driven through Tannum Sands and was trying to solve the little mystery. As we pulled into Lake Awoonga, it all came back to him. They had stayed there, at Lake Awoonga Caravan and Camping site. As we pulled down to the lakeside, it reminded me of one thing. I was instantly transported to the Lake District in the UK.
That evening was all about packing, ready for the home run the next day. We didn’t know what we fancied for dinner. I had got stuff in for a light meal but then, when we got back to the site and spotted something….dinner problems were solved.
We stumbled on this! Conveniently opposite our cabin. Conveniently allowing all those beautiful pizza smells to drift our way. It seemed a shame to let it go to waste, so I went over. One Margherita and one Meatfeast later, we were very content!
The following morning, we were on our way home. Two stops, just over six hours and the obligatory roadworks later, we were home.
Would I go back to Tannum Sands again?
Yes I would. I would say, that is the limit for driving though. Six hours is enough.
Would I stay in a Discovery Park again?
Yes I would. It was good value and great communication from the site before we left. It was a well maintained park.
