Monday, May 23, 2005
Boreen Point campsite, Noosa
New recruits to the camping fraternity included Sharon and John and their 2 kids Robert (a Norths U7) and Callum, one of Matthew’s friends. Sharon volunteered them all to go after she had had more wine than I had, at my birthday BBQ last week.

Also, Adrian extended his stay in Noosa by two nights, swapping the Backpackers he had been staying at for the canvas of a tent. Richard and Lisa, with their 3 kids, Ellie, Jessica and Jack completed the party.

We camped at Boreen Point, on the banks of Lake Cootharaba, just to the north west of Noosa Heads. It sounds very insular, but it is the furthest north we have been since we have been in Australia. So far north, in fact, that by the time you turn off, the Bruce Highway (Route 1) is reduced to a single lane carriageway; now you know you have escaped Brisbane.

The campsite was fabulous. We were so close to the lake beach and the campsite was so quiet (it is winter, remember) that we effectively had our own private beach.

This meant that we barely saw the kids for the entire weekend, except for when they got hungry.

We windsurfed (well, not really, we tried to windsurf, on a racing board in near-zero wind, so in actual fact, we more like, failed to windsurf) and we took three canoes in convoy out across the lake and a mile or so up a tributary.

We also took a bush walk to “Mosquito Point” (or so it should be renamed, actually it is called Mill Point). The track followed an old logging-tramline, through a swamp of Paperbark Gum trees to a long abandoned saw mill. At some points the mozzies were so rampant, you could not stop to take a photograph without being attacked.

Other wildlife was abundant too. It took us some 12 months in Australia to spot our first kangaroo (admittedly, we were visiting the wrong places and saw plenty of other stuff) but Adrian was lucky; at Boreen Point they seemed to be at pest levels! He was also treated to two large goannas helping themselves to some hapless campers’ lunch they had left out.

Lake Cootharaba is an odd lake, more a depression in the sand dunes that dominate the region to the north of Noosa. You can be three hundred yards offshore and still the water will still only come up to your knees. But it has a soft, muddy bottom and is therefore ideal for not loosing children by drowning.

The entire camp had all skived off an extra day off work/school so we stayed two nights, but really, three nights would be much better; more time to relax. As ever, we had a cracking time and are now planning our next trip away. Richard fancies cold weather camping up at Stanthorpe, Penny fancies beach camping down south in Moreton Bay somewhere. At least it will be warmer there.

(Photos will follow)

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