Coastal Run

It was time to head back to the coast after skipping the school holidays, Easter, and ANZAC Day. The area north of St Helens, particularly the Bay of Fires, is very popular during this period, making it nearly impossible to secure a camping spot.

We originally planned to drive only as far as St Mary's, but since we were making good time, we decided to continue to St Helens. Apart from the caravan parks, there are two camping options here: one is free, while the other costs $30 per night. We chose the paid campground because it was closer to town, allowing me to enjoy a beer or two during lunch at the Easy Tiger brewery and restaurant. The meals were delicious, and we both savoured our Thai-inspired dishes.

Before returning to the van, we completed our postal vote for the federal election at the local hall and shopped at the IGA. Today's weather is cold with blue skies, but unfortunately, it’s pretty windy, with the wind chill registering at 9.3 degrees Celsius at 2 p.m. We need to turn on the diesel heater before showering this evening.

We left our campsite just after 9 a.m. for the 14 km journey to Swimcart Beach in the Bay of Fires Conservation Area. The dirt road from the main road was filled with large potholes, but it improved once we reached the camping area. We decided to set up at the first site we encountered since the access road further down was very overgrown, and we wanted to avoid scratching 'Betty' on the way. Fortunately, the winds were not as strong as the previous day, although the wind chill made it feel significantly colder than the current temperature of 14 degrees. The forecast predicts lighter winds in the coming days, so we’re hoping they got it right, which might mean we’ll extend our stay.

Our remaining days at Swimcart Beach have been nothing short of amazing, with perfect weather during the daytime. Our diesel heater has kept us comfortable while we've experienced cold nights and mornings. With very little breeze during the day, it truly has been tremendous. We can see why this campsite is called 'Millionaires Row.'

We drove north of our campsite to view an area known as ‘The Gardens’, with its white beaches, rock pools, and lichen-covered granite rocks. 

On our last day, the weather was less than ideal. The sun did not really break through the cloud cover until just after 2 p.m. Our batteries this morning were at 83% and only rose to 91% by 3:30 p.m.

We returned to St. Helens for two days and stayed at the same campsite that charged $30 per night. This allowed us to catch up on laundry and shop before heading inland. The weather was cloudy and windy, but the wind helped dry our clothes. We had read rave reviews about Skipper's Seafood by the waterfront, so we decided to go there for fish and chips. I ordered the blue grenadier with chips, while Ros just ordered chips for herself. Unfortunately, one of my pieces of fish had a peculiar taste, so I had to throw it away, and the chips were tasteless without any tomato sauce. Overall, it was not a pleasant experience.

On our last day in St. Helens, we returned to the Easy Tiger brewery and restaurant to sample a variety of nibbles along with their in-house pale ale, which we both enjoyed.