Stradbroke Island

24 - 26 January 1998

SATURDAY - A beautiful sunny morning as we headed to Redland Bay to catch the ferry to North Stradbroke Island. We caught up with other club members lining up for the ferry and after some chit chat, were ushered onto the ferry. A lovely smooth trip with a couple of performing dolphins alongside us.

We arrived at Straddie at 9.55am and proceeded to our campsite at Flinders Beach, only a stones throw from the surf. After a hot and sweaty setting up of camp, a few of us decided to take a swim in the inviting surf. After our swim it was time to settle our hunger pains with lunch.

We then headed off for some 4wdriving to eventually arrive at Brown Lake. Dave took us on a short cut track and we arrived at Brown Lake three hours later. We hade a couple of hurdles along the way, being a rather steep hill where most had to make two or three attempts to climb. Some made it on the first attempt which included Graeme and I, thanks to his new "Weber Power". Some of the guys already on top of the hill did some repair work on the track to make it easier.

Going up the sandhill - it's much steeper than it looks !

It was then onto the next task which was a steep decline. I didn't make too many claw marks in the roof or dashboard. The views were amazing and makes it all worthwhile. Then Adrian B slid sideways into a rather deep washout but with some careful recovery work we were on our way again. Finally arriving at Brown Lake it was just like a warm bath and brown. Apparently it has Tea Tree Oil in the water - the tannin from the trees making it brown. You could fee the oil on your hands and skin. It's supposed to be great for your hair too. Once we had enough swimming we headed back to camp for dinner as it was 5pm. Unfortunately another stop as Bruce O managed to jam his gear box in 3rd while going up a hill. After club members came to his aid trying to snatch him forward and then backwards, they were able to unjam his gears by raising the front up and turning the wheels. We arrived back at camp around 6pm for a nice cold beer and shower for some courtesy of Bruce and Pam.

After dinner some of us headed for the beach with chairs and after dinner drinks in hand, where we spent the rest of the evening chatting and enjoying the atmosphere. Time for bed which I must add was a "Little Warm".

SUNDAY - Rising around 7.30am, some of us enjoyed a lovely cooked breakfast. We then headed off around 9am for the Powerline track. Again another steep hill to test the experience of club drivers. This hill taking approx. 1½ hours for everyone to climb and a few ending up in rather awkward positions, we headed off only to find that the track had been fenced off and we all had to turn around and come back down. Moreton District 4WD club were waiting behind for their turn to test the hill but soon gave it a miss when they heard we were all coming back down. We made our way through various tracks then onto the beach and down to Jumpinpin for an inviting swim and a well earned lunch.

Going down - again, much, much steeper than it looks !

We then headed off along the beach where Graeme and Bruce and kids stopped to get pippies for fishing. We made our way onto the Blue Lake track where Bruce ran into trouble when his wheels would not turn into the track he wanted them to go and ended up sinking into soft sand and spraying Pam and the kids. Dave S to the rescue, snatching him out. After moving on again Donalda, trying to move out of the way of an on coming Subaru Outback, ended up in a bank, resulting in a very sore sprained wrist. It looked like some boys were taking daddy's car out for the day. We finally made it to Blue Lake were we had a refreshing swim and some nice sights to be seen (for the guys). We made our way to the Keyhole Lake after Blue Lake for another cool swim. We were entertained by a dog riding a boogie board.

Back to camp for dinner and a cold beer. In the evening Dave M organised a night trip to the lookout with some of us opting to stay behind for a chat and drinks together. They made it back safe and sound.

MONDAY - Very warm night so Graeme and I decided to rise early around 5am and head for the beach. Graeme managed to catch a couple of fish. Slowly one by one club members drifted down for a morning swim. Time fo brekkie and a quick CV boot change for David S (thanks Royce), then off to Point Lookout for the Gorge Scenic walk. Absolutely beautiful. We saw manta rays and a breathtaking view of the island and its crystal clear waters.

Time for lunch and a few of us opted for the Straddie Hotel. We then headed back to camp to pack up in the sweltering heat and made our way to the Keyhole Lake for a quick swim before heading back to Dunwich to meet the ferry for home.

Julie Laws SC430