I’ve always said to John that our trip is more about the journey than the destination but now I’m not so sure that’s true. We wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Gold Coast so stayed in two amazing bush camps this week.  However the drives in to both were quite hairy. We were actually very happy to reach our destination!

The first was Jandarra Farm, previously a banana plantation that has been restored using holistic land practices. There were three camping areas, one of them elevated.  Although I thought that would be the nicest I decided John would prefer not to have to pull the caravan up unnecessary hills so I booked a lower one which turned out to be just as beautiful. The scenery was magnificent with 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains. We had access to a compost toilet, bush showers and an infra-red sauna!

The drive in was interesting. We passed the cute little town of Tallebudgera and the golf club then drove along winding roads with the most lovely homes and gardens on each side.  All of a sudden the road became narrower and we hit potholes and road works. We held our collective breaths as we crossed at least three of the narrowest bridges ever going over a creek, hoping the caravan would make it across.  It did- just. And then we hit the rough road with steep hills and sharp corners. We prayed no-one was coming in the other direction as we didn’t think we could stop. There were two big sighs of relief when we pulled up at the farm.

We had a fabulous couple of nights here and the first we enjoyed sitting around the campfire with Tania, the owner, and Brad, a young lad with a swag who spent one night on the elevated site.  John played golf at the local course while I gave myself up to the complete peace and quiet of our camp. We took a stroll down to the river but didn’t swim. Too cold for us. However we did have the infra-red sauna overlooking banana trees and a vegetable garden followed by a shower with views of the hills. Fantastic! The journey in was a little nerve-wracking but it was so worth it.

We were sad to leave this gorgeous camp but the next one was just as beautiful.  I told John I’d organised for us to have three nights at another bush camp. He said ‘Great, as long as there are no more hills!”  I looked back at the name of the camp – Witherin Heights Bush Camp. I really hoped the name was just a play on the book or Kate Bush song and not an indication of how high up it was.

The drive through the Hinterland was just beautiful but it was extremely mountainous and I could hear John cursing me under his breath. I don’t think he enjoyed the scenery as much as I did. It didn’t help that I directed him onto the wrong track on arrival at the camp and he had to back up the caravan along a narrow dirt road with a ditch on either side.  Oops.

The owner, Terry, asked us if we wanted to camp at the top although there was road noise or continue down to the mid level or lower level.  I couldn’t believe it when John said we’d go lower down. I don’t think he thought it through because the road was horrendous – narrow and rocky with sheer drops at many spots; there were hairpin bends and big holes in the road. It made the last one look like kids’ stuff. (John has now decided he likes caravan parks where we are squashed in with everyone else. Hopefully he will get over that quickly).

When we arrived at the mid-level camp, John said it might be nicer further down! I thought it looked lovely where we were but further down there was a perfect camping spot overlooking the valley. So he manoeuvred the van across a muddy track to set up.

Wow! What a place.  Each campsite was huge with no-one else in sight. A portaloo and fireplace were provided at each site but otherwise it was just an amazing view, the noisy kookaburras and the cows that occasionally strolled by. There was nothing to do but collect wood for the campfire and relax.

It seems crazy that in some bush camps such as this one, there is no power or water.  We rely completely on our own water and solar but there is often excellent TV reception! So here John got to enjoy the remoteness of our camp but didn’t have to miss the football or the Commonwealth Games!

The next morning we left camp and drove into the local town of Canungra to have a look around. And we were very impressed! I counted at least six cafes and all had five stars on Google. There were a few vintage clothes shops, a fabulous book and art shop plus quaint gift shops. In fact, we walked up a side street and discovered a couple of gift shops in homes and a very cute cafe in the back garden of a house. We enjoyed a lovely coffee and homemade date scone there then a browse through their vintage shop – inside the home. They even had items for sale in the bathroom!

On our return we did little but enjoy the ambience of the camp. It was very peaceful.  We read and collected more firewood. However, at the back of our minds there was the thought of the drive back up the hill with the caravan. We decided to have the last night on the top level so we could drive out easily on the Monday morning as we had the caravan booked in for repairs on the Gold Coast.

So on Sunday morning we packed up and connected the van to the car. We agreed I’d walk up alerting John to the dangers on the track. We didn’t have to go far for the first one! John drove up the steep hill and onto the dirt track which had very deep 30cm or so grooves made from previous cars in the rain. He tried to avoid the grooves and stay to the side of the track but the van’s left wheel caught in the ditch and dragged the van and car sideways causing the kitchen flap to fly open and some fruit and veg to spill onto the track. It could have been breakables I know. I picked them up and secured the latch to the kitchen. John drove on around bends and up steep hills avoiding wandering stock. One of the hairpin bends seemed impossible to get around with a hill on one side and ditch on the other and it took him a few goes to get the van around. But the van wheel slipped onto the edge of the ditch and the caravan started to tip over and slide taking the car with it. My heart was in my mouth as I yelled at John to stop but he yelled back that he had to keep going so he, the car and the van struggled slowly up the hill slipping close to the edge and dropping into pot holes. It was so frightening watching from outside. I had to run past them to open the gate so that John could put his foot flat on the accelerator and get all the way up.

When we met up at the top of the hill our hearts were thumping and I was sweating from the exertion of running uphill! But we were safely at the top and easily reversed into a very flat camp-site close to a compost toilet and the road. We couldn’t have cared less about the traffic noise!

I think we were both secretly happy that the day was overcast and chilly so we had an excuse to stay in the van and read. Of course when we had recovered we were able to enjoy yet another lovely view from this site and chat to the – not cows this time, but goats!

At least we could sleep well knowing that we wouldn’t have to negotiate that track and could, instead, drive quietly out onto the road back to Nerang, just half an hour away, to drop off the van. We were looking forward to catching up with friends Linda and Barry from our days in Mandurah, and seeing Tambourine Mountain where they live.