Re Northern Base January

A reply on the other forum suggested Rockhampton. How does that sound.

Any local opinions from Queenslanders

John

Mate, at that time of year your options are limited. It's the middle of the wet so going north is not a good idea, unless you only plan to go on sealed roads. Inland it will be hot as... and again the middle of the wet so not a good time to go offroad.
My suggestion would be to have a look around the Burnett coast, from 1770, Bundaberg down to Hervey Bay, over to Fraser Island (probably leave the van on the mainland if you've never towed on soft sand before) There are some excellent places to camp in these areas but it will be rather crowded due to school holidays.
Enjoy you're trip.
John

Hi John,
I live about half way between Brisbane and Airlie and in February 2003 we had over 700mm of rain and in February 2004 we had under 100mm so the weather may be kind or may be not.
I would be extremely surprised if the road to Airlie was cut at all and unless we get a major cyclonic event I would expect to be able to drive to Cairns without a problem through-out the “wet” season. However it will probably be hot and humid.
If it was me I would plan to go as far north as I wanted to on the bitumen and then I would check local conditions as I went. It's quite possible to be sitting in bright sunshine in one town while your destination for tomorrow gets 200mm of rain.
I also believe the times of getting stranded between Brisbane and Cairns for days at a time are long gone. However there are people around who still tell horror stories of being stranded on the Marlborough stretch without saying it was on the dirt in 1972. ;-)
See Ya
PatC

Hi John,

You're new van looks great. But back to the subject, having grown-up in Townsville, I endorse all the earlier comments about the variability of The Wet in NQ.

I can recommend the Atherton Tablelands (inland from Cairns and Innisfail) as a top spot in NQ (or FNQ, if the Cairns-ites prefer) in summer. The altitude means the temperature and humidity is usually several degrees/% lower than the steamy coastal strip. There's plenty to see and do in the region to keep you busy for a couple of weeks.

Should a cyclone come in close while you're up that way, you can easily scamper further west to, say Mt. Surprise. That far inland, any cyclone should have weakened to a rain depression and be must less destructive. Have a great trip.

Gidday,there are a few c/van parks around Airlie Beach(approx 5).If you go past Airlie there are 3 van parks and it is only a very short drive to Shute Harbour to catch the boat to Hamilton.You could also leave your van at Proserpine if you wanted to.The roads are passible in all but extreme conditions and are opened soon after.In the event of a cyclone you will have plenty of time to get out.At that time of the year the south east corner seems to have more and dangerous storms than up here.
I lived and worked on Hamilton (THE ROCK)for 3+ years (when Keithy Baby owned it)and dont want to go back ever.
If you havent been up here before spend a little time in the area.Gods own world.
We had a nickname for tourists on the rock (LOOPIES)and the worst were Yanks(apologies to the yanks).They were obstropolis and boisterous at the best of times.
When you come up have a good time.
Seeya Locallaw

Hi John,

Airlie is my home town (although I now live in WA) so here's some local advice...

As you already know you'll be heading into the wet season. It's going to be very hot, humid and wet. You'll start to experience real wet season conditions from about Rockhampton and it'll become more pronounced as you head further north. How much rain you'll see will depend on the season...during a "wet" wet season you'll see heavy, constant rain day in and day out. A "dry" wet season might see a couple of short showers or heavier downpours a day. The average wet season is usually somewhere in between.

The trouble with trying to plan for your trip is that you don't know this far out what type of wet season you'll be heading into. Also, regardless of the season, several inches of rain can fall in a matter of hours and quite suddenly the roads could be cut.

However, it's not all doom and gloom. Along the Bruce Hwy there are a few trouble spots north of Rocky such as between Sarina and Mackay and a low area just south of Proserpine. But the fact is that most years see's no flooding or only minor flooding which could recede in a matter of hours. The main route or back route between Proserpine and Airlie do get cut occasionally at Myrtle Creek, Hamilton Plains or Brandy Ck but again this is a rare occurence.

As suggested above, the best thing to do IMO is to stay at one of the CVP's at Airlie and catch a boat over the HI for the wedding. However, as you travel north watch the weather reports and get regular updates on road conditions (from the RACQ or local roadhouses) and have a back up plan. Give yourself a little bit of leaway in your schedule. Don't aim to arrive in Airlie the day before the wedding, instead arrive 2 or 3 day before so if you are held up a bit, you won't miss the wedding. If not, well hey, you won't have any trouble filling in the time in Airlie. If the roads between Mackay and Airlie look a bit suss, stay in Mackay instead. I'm pretty sure (though make some inquiries in advance) that you can get a boat from Mackay to HI although whether they run daily during the wet/low season I don't know. For sure you could get a flight from Mackay to HI which takes in some spectacular scenery over the Whitsundays but is an expensive option so perhaps only a last resort.

Enjoy your trip. Yes it'll be wet but at least you'll have a chance to experience a wet season and you won't have to worry about the high season crowds.

:o) Melissa