Agnes Waters 1770 and Gootchie Creek Escape

It's certainly been many years since we last visited Agnes Waters and 1770. Then, the access road from the Bruce Highway was dirt.

In those days, this area was just a sleepy location that had not grown but was now bursting at the seams with development.

We were heading south, so this stop was short and probably would be the last time we came here again.

We stayed at The Summit in Agnes Waters and had initially booked an unpowered site, but once we arrived, it would have been impossible to camp in this section with the uneven ground. So luckily, there was a powered site for our stay.

Apart from having a good look around, we shopped and enjoyed lunch on one of our days along the waterfront in 1770. I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch, particularly my crumbed red emperor.

From here, we ventured further south along the busy Bruce Highway to our next stay at Gootchie Creek Escape just south of Bauple. It is a six-hundred-acre property just over one kilometre west of the Bruce Highway. We arrived on a Thursday and chose a site along Gootchie Creek, but there are unlimited sites on the property. The usual facilities, including showers, toilets, and a dump point, are on site. The facilities can be seen in the background.

Unfortunately, our idyllic campsite was shattered on Friday afternoon once the hordes arrived with their noisy children and doof doof music, played loudly late into the night. Luckily, we only booked for two nights; otherwise, we would have left anyway. So if you enjoy serenity, I would only camp here during the week, not during the school holidays.

Haliday Bay north of Mackay

 We shopped in Proserpine before heading south to spend time camping at Haliday Bay north of Mackay. We've never ventured off the highway in this part of the world, and we were so glad we did. Talk about a little slice of paradise with a small campground with powered and unpowered sites. Of course, we chose the unpowered area. The site is suited to fully self-contained caravans and motorhomes.

The on-site bar and restaurant were closed during our visit because of the reduced numbers now travelling so late in the season.

Twenty-seven dollars per night unpowered with water available, a dump point and a lovely beach with a swimming enclosure to keep the stingers at bay. There's even a nine-hole golf course, but unfortunately, my golf clubs are at home, and the hired clubs leave much to be desired.

Initially, our four-night stay has grown to a sixteen as the area is so peaceful and quiet, but then, of course, it's late in the tourist season with fewer people travelling.

The past weekend was busy with people from Mackay camping here, but now that it's Monday morning, we almost have the place to ourselves.

Spearfishermen and snorkelers reported that the area around the rocks on the point out from the swimming enclosure had many sea snakes.

Another small community at Seaforth, ten kilometres north of here, sells fuel. It has a small shop and a bowling club, where we enjoyed lunch on one of our days.

With six hundred kilometres from Halliday Bay to Agnes Waters, we decided to break up the drive and stay behind the pub at Marlborough, where you can camp for free, provided you frequent the pub, so we both enjoyed our lunch and a beer.