The VinCats

26/10/2025

It's storm time.

Had a visit from friends this morning and it was so hot. Off we went to the beach to cool off. So nice.

After they left we decided to go to the local pub for lunch. As luck would have it a band was playing. Woodman Trio, pretty good too.

A few hours later...... (say that slowly in a deep voice).

Got a text from the camp to say put your awning away, winds are coming.. We knew a storm was coming and weren't far away and wasn't windy at this point.

Came back to camp and put everything away.

Lightning first, then thunder and now the rain. Lighting was straight down as well as across the sky.

We had the air con on as it was still very hot and then the power went off. Lucky for us we can run it off grid for a few hours yet.

The joys of life on the road.

Did you get the storms? Stay safe out there.

23/10/2025

Up early early this morning to go and check out these beautiful mammals and feed them.

Opens at 7 am and arrived 10 mins after and there was already a crowd. I thought I might have missed out on getting a ticket to feed thembut no plenty left still. Phew.

Cost is $10 and if you want to feed them that is an extra $5. Pretty good value these days.

They gave a talk and basically this started in 1952 when a dolphin came in that wasn't well. The locals had to do something so started feeding it until it got better then off it went on its way.

Three weeks later it came back with its mates. You aren't allowed to touch dolphins in Queensland. They started feeding them and the Government wanted to shut them down. In the end, they moved them over to this spot and allowed people to feed them however never to touch them. They are wild animals after all. Not even the keepers are allowed to touch them.

They keep an eye on them to make sure they are ok and from time to time have to give them antibiotics. They do this by putting it into the fish. Sneaky. They live to roughly 45 years in the wild and longer when in captivity due to regular feeding and no predators.

Such a cool experience for sure.

22/10/2025

22/10/2025

21/10/2025

A big 4WD day today. It's a long one but a goodie.

First stop was to drop Shadow off as you are not allowed dogs in a National park. He stayed with this lovely lady with a few other dogs and had the time of his life. Check out the pick of their gate, love it.

We purchased a 1 day permit to do this drive and you also need a permit for camping.

We drove down the road and around a few corners before starting the drive along Freshwater Rd which is a 4WD track.

The first stop was the Bymein picnic area where we did a short loop walk.

Found the Freshwater camping area and decided to check it out. What an awesome spot. Wasn't expecting the flash toilets and you can get hot showers for $2 for 5 mins. Well worth stopping here.

Further down was the Day use area. Had plenty of room with BBQs. On the other side were 2 dump points. Who would have thought. Well done to the council. A few people get up real early and go fishing then on their way back stop to cook some breakfast or lunch.

Got down to the beach a drive up to Double Island point, parked up and decided to walk to the lighthouse. It was early in the morning and it was starting to get hot. Only a 2.2 km walk but you do need to take water, hat, etc. some places where shady but most of it wasn't.

On 11 Sept 1884, it started shining its lights using a kerosene burner. The light keepers worked 4 hours shifts until 1933 when it was converted to electric 💡 and is now powered by solar ⚡ panels. only 2 light keeps were needed during the night. During the day they did maintenance and supplies around the station.

Next was a much needed swim. Wow the water was soooo nice. A few more people had turned up by the time we got back Surfers out on the water. It was great to watch while enjoying a spot of lunch.

We decided to go back up the track to take a look at Freshwater lake as we didn't stop on the way down. Thought there was a carpark and a 50 min walk and it turned out we couldn't get there. Gate was closed with Authorised access only. Went back to the day area and turns out it would take 4 hours to walk there. Next time. We only had a day to explore. That was a real shame. Not sure why the cut off the others access point 😥.

Went back up the beach and over the Leisha track to Rainbow beach. It was a very short track and we thought it was longer. A sharp turn right as you come of it.

The tide was out and it was beautiful. A few sandbars that separated and created water pools of varying depths.

We drove through some water to get to one of them and got the drone out. I decided it was time for another swim so off I went. Vince joined me once he had finished with the drone. Lucky to have such beautiful spots accessible to everyone. You definitely wouldn't get here in high tide. After the swim and more sun baking we packed up and drove all the way back to the town along the beach. Stunning is all one can say. We did see a bunch of hand gliders and are in one of the videos.

It was now 3.30 pm and we weren't done yet. We decided to do another 4WD to Poverty Point. Off we drove down the road and turned onto a track that we thought was the right one..... Oopsy nope it was a firebreak track. It was pretty sandy and soft but managed to turn around.

Finally in the right track and it was wide, soft sand in places, gravel in other places. 6.5 km to the end was this awesome camping spot. Permits need to camp here and no amenities. The tide was out and mango trees dotted around.

Of course I needed to go to the loo so we drove back out and stopped at Seary's Creek day use area. What a gem of a find. Two swimming areas in the creek. The water was stained tea colour tannin in the surrounding area but safe to swim. No fishing allowed and of course there were a couple of blokes just came back with fishing rods in hand!

It was a mad dash back to pump up the tyres and collect Shadow. He had a great day. Picked up fish n chips and headed back to camp. FYI I checked if the fish had skin on and yes it did in the cold only. Who would have thought in Qld where no one sle does it. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Ok, so if you made it this far, congratulations. Let me know in the comments if you did and what you think of our day out.

20/10/2025

Why is it you never have your camera with you and then you see something exciting?

Took Shadow out for his final little walk and saw a bush stone curlew and an owl and no phone to take a pic and prove it.....😥😭😥

19/10/2025

What is with this rain we are having on and off. A wee downpour last night.

Went to jump into the shower and the bucket I kept in there had water in it... wtf... Oh realised when we had the storm we forgot to close the two hatches in the bathroom... Ooopsy

Relaxed and read my book, as I have done most days since being here. Finished one and half way through the next...in a roll. I either read heaps or not at all. May have a like a years break in-between 😜🤪

Nice early evening walk with Shadow.

19/10/2025

Met friends for lunch in Hervey Bay. We originally met on our Hawaiian cruise earlier this year. It was so good to see them again.

Vince thought our car battery was playing up so we had to go and get it checked out. It is 4 years old. They tested it and it seemed ok so didn't get one. We will get RACQ out to come test it when it is cold. Don't want to be going too far away from services with a dodge bat do we!

Got a couple of things while there from the shops and headed back just in time for the storm to come through. Didn't think it was going to get us. Light rain then winds with strong wind gusts that blew out anti flap thinking off at one end. Then a very heavy downpour. Thunder and lightning to boot. Thought we were going to get hail but no thankfully.

18/10/2025

Here we are taking a walk over the sand, whipped up and forever changed by the wind. One side goes into the trees and the other to the cliffs on the beach. Best to get here early and there is no protection from the sun and it gets hot 🔥🔥🔥.

There are walking trails from here and can take days depending on what ones you do. What a place eh.

Drove down onto the beach to see the coloured sands. Such a nice spot to come. Could only drive so far as we didn't have a permit. Gotta watch out for that.

16/10/2025

Took a drive out to Inskip Point.

This is the place you catch the barge over to K'gari Island, formerly Fraser Island. Goes every 30 mins and takes approx 10 mins to get across. It drops you off at the southern end.

We drove over to the other side where there was a marina.

You need a permit to go over and the shortest one is for 1 month. That plus the cost of the barge return is a tad too much for us this time round. Next time we will take the caravan across and stay for a month to make the most of it.

Some further info for you. Map in the comments.

K'gari, formerly Fraser Island, is the world's largest sand island located off the coast of Southeast Queensland, Australia, and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

It is known for its unique geography, including rainforests that grow on sand, more than 100 freshwater lakes, and 75-mile-long beaches.

You can explore through 4WD tours, ferries, camping, and resorts.

Key features
Size: It is 123 km long, 22 km wide at its widest point, and covers over 166,000 hectares.

Landscapes: K'gari features a unique combination of tropical rainforests, sand dunes, freshwater lakes, and beaches.

World Heritage site: It is recognized for its significant natural and cultural values, including a complex system of coastal dunes.

Wildlife: The island is home to native wildlife like dingoes and goannas.

15/10/2025

Took a walk around the camp and Carlo Point Marina with Shadow in tow.

Nice to see a garden that can be used by all. Not quite ready for picking except the chives and mint. Will have to come back and get some.

There are dingos here, well haven't seen any but there is a sign, so there must be. We are not far from K'gari (formerly Fraser Island) and there are loads over there. Dingos are wild dogs and can be very aggressive. Never feed them and pack away all your food stuff properly. They have been known to attack.

You can have camp fires here off the ground. There are fire restrictions, so haven't been able to have one as yet. Hoping we can soon. One camper did a couple of nights ago. Either the restrictions were lifted that day or they didn't know. They haven't had one since.

It's been hot and muggy with a slight breeze and would you believe it, some rain to boot. Very relaxing.

We have been watching YouTube about fasting and getting rid of that viscal fat around the belly and now Vince has put us on 6/18 fasting plan. Straight into it, no easying in at all. They recommend starting at 12/12 for 3 weeks first! Mr Vinnie!!! We do have some not recommended food to get rid of so not sure how it will work out for the first week or two.

Black coffee anyone...yuk but doing it till I can have my tea with milk again...lol. Wish us luck!

Need a fire so I can use up the bag of marshmallows now!