Left Pomona to drive 160km north east to Hervey Bay. We met Stephen (housesit owner) before we left so he could give us the heads up and the keys. We are hoping the weather further north will be sunny! Drove past Gympie and Maryborough. Maryborough is an old town with lots of Queenslander style houses (wooden off the ground). It looked like a nice town. Went by quite a few sugar cane farms and the vegetation is different to SE Qld as it is not so lush and rainforesty. Reminds us a little bit of WA’s vegetation. We arrived just after lunch to begin our two week housesit. The house is on 5 acres and 300m from the Sandy Straits beach (splits Fraser Island from the mainland) although we believe the beach is mangroves. We are house sitting two cattle dogs, Ben and Luke who are very nice dogs. Amazing how they don’t know us and at first were wary of us and obviously barking at us but didn’t take them long to relax and start to befriend us. Don’t think Coco would be so obliging. Although Ben and Luke have had housesitters before so are more used to strangers staying in their home. We are staying in the caravan and decided to put the annexe up. No sooner had we put the ground mat down and halfway through putting the annexe roof up and it started to rain, and it rained, and it poured and it poured and it bucketed down and it bucketed down for about 2 hours! Our poor van leaked in its normal spot and our floor mat for the annexe is flooded. Too wet to put up the sides. We are so over the rain! Does it ever stop here in Qld. Locals told us from June onwards it dries up now they say July onwards! So much for the sunshine state! So consequently we haven’t been able to take the dogs down to the beach for a walk – hopefully tomorrow! Hooray no rain this morning but very damp. Went into town to check it out and to gather some information about Fraser Island. It is a very nice town and has a nice feel about it. First impressions it that we like it Hervey Bay sits in the region known as the Fraser Coast. The population is +55,000 and the predictions by 2020 is 80,000! From what we have been told it is a fairly depressed area not as upmarket as you would think. Similar to Busselton in that the population is growing but there is not a lot of work except for low paid seasonal holiday stuff so the demographics are changing. The foreshore is very very nice and quite touristy with lots of restaurants, cafes and shops. Went to the most unfriendliest information centre ever, all she wanted to do was sell us tours or accommodation. We want to take our own car across and do our own thing. Eventually went to the marina and found a very helpful person. It costs $150 to take the car (4WD only) and four people over and $38 to get a vehicle permit. One day tours cost from $165 onwards per person. As the day progressed it got sunnier and sunnier we went down to the beach and found a nice cafe on the waters edge which was just lovely. There are very high tides here and the tide was quite a way out. Went back to the housesit and dried out the van and annexe mat whilst it was sunny and dry. The housesit is very basic, 2 bedroom house but lovely gardens on 5 acres. Stephen (owner) obviously has a passion for gardening and has many garden beds and vegetable gardens. It is quite stunning. Ben and Luke are lovely dogs both cattle dogs except Ben is very excitable when it walk time and tells the whole neighbourhood he is going out for a walk – ear piercing loud. Neighbours must hate the noise. The beach – well mangrove beach – is about 300m down the road so we walk the dogs there and they have a little run around.
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