loafer
X-TRAIL VETERAN
Date Registered: 02-2008
Location: Brisbane, Qld
TOTAL POSTS: 973
|
|
|
|
Rainbow Beach Day Trip
Well, now I am even more amazed at what the little exy is capable of . Was invited to tag-along on a day trip up to Cooloola Coloured Sands and Rainbow Beach on Sunday, and jumped at the chance.
Met up at the BP servo somewhere along the Bruce H'way and then headed north following Selina (the crazy chick in the Suzuki). After a brief detour through rural north coast, we made it to the Noosa North Shore Ferry. Just a quick punt across the Noosa River and then approx 10 km's of bitumen before finally hitting gravel. With the smell of salt in the air, we entered the beach and proceeded north.
Beach driving is certainly different to other off-roading (as I'm sure you're all aware) - the "road" is so smooth and it is so easy to let your eyes wander off your intended path, checking out all the sights around you. But then, you hit one of the many sand drifts and your attention is back on the job of keeping the car on the straight.
Our first stop was at a site where some of the others' friends had camped the night. We made our greetings, before Dave, Tara, Rose & I headed north along the beach.
The guys (who we met up with) told us of a track to take inland to Rainbow Beach township called Freshwater Rd. So Dave, being the brave and bold type, decided to go first. However, after a week of school holiday traffic, the entrance to the cutting was extremely chewed up and the sand was as light as talcum powder. Needless to say, Dave's exy got stuck (along with quiet a few others) and had to be snatched out
Fortunately Dave made it up the track, but unfortunately Tara wasn't able to climb the steep and very sandy track to meet him. So we reconfigured our seating and with our new passenger, drove north along the beach to the Leisha Track while Dave soldiered on alone through the forest to meet up with us on the other side of Rainbow Beach.
As it was getting close to lunch time (and because Dave & Tara were carrying the main lunch ingredients on board) we decided to head back to the camp site, via the Coloured Sands and Rainbow Township, and then back along the inland track through the forest to Freshwater. Most of the sights we saw along the way were outstanding - some unusual - and the beach was very busy with hundreds of off roaders having a ball. The weather was perfect and the atmosphere serene. Queensland really is beautiful one day - perfect the next!
Before we got to the township, we had to negotiate a little bit of water (there were heaps of trees lying across the bottom of the sand cliffs) and timing between wave swells was crucial. But a little bit of water (combined with appropriate forward motion) never hurt us and we motored along comfortably.
The inland track back was pleasantly different to the beach and the scenery vastly contrasting and it wasn't long before we met back upwith the others at the Freshwater Creek BBQ area, just in time to start cooking.
After lunch and a chill-out, we each said our gooodbyes and headed home. It was a great day and good to meet some new people. Many thanks to Dave & Tara for inviting Rose & I along and we will definitely be going back again soon (more likely once school holidays have finished).
Last edited by loafer, 1/Oct/2008, 12:00 am
--- Stephen
X756 (c)
Electric Blue 2008 Ti CVT
|
30/Sep/2008, 11:42 pm
|
|
jalalski
Date Registered: 02-2004
Location: SUTHERLAND, SYDNEY
TOTAL POSTS: 29100
|
|
|
|
Re: Rainbow Beach Day Trip
Excellent write up there Steve and awesome pics
|
1/Oct/2008, 5:26 pm
|
|