If you don't get rain, you don't get Rainbow Beach!

We made a decision early on to stay off the main Highways and Motorways, just so we could see more of the country side.  Most times this is the right choice, but sometimes, like our Kenilworth forrest adventure, it can be a worrying choice.  Well once again the bitumen disappeared and we are on the corrugated roads at the back of a place called Wolvi.  The main problem is you don't know how long the roads will be like this, if they will get worse or even if you should turn around and find a different route.  But just when you think everything is going to rattle off the old van, you see the bitumen again and the choice is vindicated.  Wolvi is a lovely little country town so close to the coastline and rivers with lush green beautiful paddocks and hills full of fat cows and horses you'd think that you were in high hinterlands.  It's perfect if you were wanting a bit of everything...Rainbow Beach just up the way or a quiet country secluded life.

We left the Sunny coast for a week long trip up to Rainbow Beach. We had called in there before, but the weather had been crap and it was school holidays so now it was back there for some more R & R.  Rainbow Beach is 75klms east of Gympie and is an amazing expanse of sand and ocean.  Unfortunately the Hiace isn't 4WD, as your exploration of this area would last for weeks. Its one of those great but disappearing Queensland beaches that you can drive on, allowing you to find your own little piece of privacy.  But we didn't have that luxury, so we struggled with perfect weather. There was however a wall of photos in the pub and shops showing all the recoveries of vehicles that had succumbed to inept drivers not knowing when the tides come in or just plain stupid, driving through the water and not realising that the sand is not as hard as they had been driving on earlier in the day!!  Very amusing - especially to the locals we're sure!

View from the van

We checked in to the caravan park and managed to get the front row - millionaires avenue, for $35 a night.  Rainbow is going ahead and is a very popular place for the social set. The Rainbow Beach Hotel has gone from an old style weatherboard pub full of character which got demolished and replaced with a Lounge Bar you would find in New Farm.  Jamie & I gave ourselves several CLOSE inspections of the RBH, so we are experts.

Our little blue home with the same view as the 6 star units at a fraction of the price!

This was our first opportunity since to put our new surfboard in the water, so our days were mainly falling off, but laughing the whole time.  We think we are improving but it is a slow process. Especially for Jamie!