More beach action

We have been off the radar a bit over the last few days. We struck the Easter holiday crowd and we found that most parks were full to the brim. We have had a very full week with all sorts of adventures. We left Coffs Harbour last Wednesday morning. We had a great time there. The beach was very good and the pool with all its water slides was a major hit with the kids. We weren't altogether sure where we would head next but I liked the look of Brooms Head. Brooms Head is just beyond Grafton and then about 20ish km's off the Pacific Highway. We thought we would go and have a look and see what it was like. It turned out to be a fantastic place. It was very basic, with the caravan park occupying 1.5 km's of beach frontage. It was a very sleepy little settlement, but the park was quite full. There is very little development there and that was part of its charm. Mostly occupied by holiday makers from northern NSW and QLD. We stayed there for 2 nights. We played in the rock pools, and searched for crabs. We also spent hours in the surf, both swimming and boarding. The water was very warm. We had great weather for the time that we were there. Lara was so inspired by the place that she ran a jogging expedition on Friday morning.

searching for crabs in the rock pools at Brooms Head

Is anyone here a marine biologist?



Gracie with her shell collection

Gracie finding her sea legs

A serious card game in progress - Brooms Head

Brooms Head lookout

Mum and her two precious boys

 



On the beach by 7.00 am



Early morning jogging expedition

 

We left Brooms Head on Good Friday and made our way to Yamba for morning tea. We found a nice little spot and had a little Easter reflection. While brief, it was a nice time as a family. We then had a short swim before pointing Bustin' Loose back up the Pacific Highway.

Our Good Friday reflection

We didn't get too far before we took a little detour towards Evans Head. Evans Head is about 40 km's south of Ballina. It is a relatively big place - Kind of Sorrento size or bigger but not as flashy. It has a bit of everything. There is a huge surf beach, and a big estuary. It was much more "cashed up bogan" than Brooms Head, with a fairly strong jet ski contingent. It a lovely place. We got ourselves a massive feed of fish and chips and ate them overlooking the water. We spent most of the arvo there and only left when it got dark. The girls had a walk on the beach while the boys hung out at the skate park. I had a major case of BMX envy. There was a bloke there, only just old enough to grow a drug cartel style Mo. He was seriously talented on his BMX. I assured the boys that he could only do those tricks because he was a truant and worked on his routine while his contemporaries were getting an education. This made me feel better too.

Fish and Chip lunch at Evans Head

Phil and his peeps at the skate park

Gracie's head at Evans Head

After leaving Evans Head we again joined the Pacific Highway. We headed north until we found a truck stop where Lars cooked up a noodle delight for the kids. Once the kids were fed and ablutions were taken care of we set off to find a suitable place to spend the night. We settled on a free camp on the side of the Pacific Highway just south of Byron Bay. It wasn't a bad position, but it turned out to be quite noisy. Unfortunately our overnight coincided with the Byron Bay Blues festival. The festival crowd started to arrive at about midnight. When we woke in the morning there were "Wicked" campers as far as the eye could see. I suppose we got what we paid for.

We set off early Saturday Morning for Byron. We hit town just after 7.00 am. We had subway and hot cross buns for breaky. We found an absolute ripper park, right on the main intersection in the thick of the Easter market and right on the beach. Another 5.00 minutes and we wouldn't have found a park anywhere. We walked through the market, we swan in the surf and we generally sucked in the atmosphere. We lazed around town for about 6 hours. It was divine.  Before we left town, Lars cooked up a pancake morning tea and we ate them on the grass in the thick of all the action. There was tie dye, beads, Latin music and dreads everywhere. We thought we were just spectators until a grey haired lady walked past, looked at Bustin' Loose and complained to her friend about ferrals. How dare she!

Pole position at Byron Bay

Gracie at Byron Bay



By the time we left Byron, there was a line of cars about 3 km's long trying to get in. Our timing was perfect. We then set off for Brisbane. Upon arriving in Brisbane (at about 3.30 pm) we found a cinema and went off and saw RIO as a family. It was lots of fun. The suburb was Stafford. I'm not sure where it is, but parking was easy and we had Happy Meals to finish off the night. We then drove to Sandgate (a northern suburb of Brisbane), found a quiet side street and bedded down for the night.

Sandgate is a beautiful suburb. It is a bit like Williamstown. It is right on the water, with lots of lovely homes. I'm sure they loved having us camped there for nothing. The Easter bunny was very clever to find us hiding out up our back street. We went to Bracken Ridge Baptist Church which was quite good. The speaker was engaging and spoke very well. We then settled on the Sandgate foreshore and remained until dark. We caught up with our good friends Andrew and Melissa Russell (fellow Melbournites on holidays) and they joined us for fish and chips and a lazy arvo by the sea. The kids paddled and it was a very relaxing day. The Simpsons finished off with an ice cream before hunting out another "freebie" for the night. We ended up camping out the front of one of Andrew Russell's good mates. It was very close to our Saturday night position.


A back street in Sandgate - Clever Easter Bunny



Our oasis on the Sandgate foreshore

The Russells popped in for lunch

We are now in a caravan park in Mooloolaba. It is basic but in a fantastic location. After a walk through the cafes this morning we had a very slow day. We are enjoying having power again after three nights doing freebies. We spent about 90 mins in the surf this arvo. The water is incredibly warm. The waves were the biggest we have had so far. The kids are amazing with the surf. Even little Gracie gets out with her board. The waves crash all over her and she bobs around and then pops up with a smile on her face. She wears a floatie vest which makes us all feel a bit better. Yes Mum, we always swim between the flags. 39 years of having Mum yell at me "Philip, that's far enough" has made me quite cautious when swimming in the sea.

Sausages for tea tonight and a quick episode of Skippy before bed. We will probably move on to Coolum tomorrow (Tuesday).

Cheers

Phil, Lars, Hannah, Charlie, William and Gracie