Day 17 to 18. July 6 and 7 2022. Maroochydore. Sunshine Coast lives up to it's name...sort of

Still more rain over night, but it stops when it is time to pack everything up for the first time. The awning is wet, but we have no choice to roll it up and stash it away. The good news is that we fit everything in and leave the park on time. With the van connected to the car, it follows us like a little brother who wants to do everything the big brother does. This is a good thing. The roads are dry and our first little journey is without incident and we arrive at Maroochydore, checking in before lunch. With the van quickly set up – awning, table and chairs, plug in the extension cord - we have some lunch and then traverse the 200m to the beach for a walk and to find a coffee. Shorts are on, the sky is clear and the heart is lifted.

The site is next to the beach and you can hear the waves right behind us. For an apartment or other accommodation this close, it would be quite expensive, but we have just set up and plugged in for around $50 a night. The amenities are far enough away to boost our step count to 10,000 during a night time visit, but we did want more walking and exercise. Again, the people are great. Next door lends us a jockey wheel receiver so the front stops sinking into the sand. We go for a walk for a few hours and return to find our awning all tied up and off to the side. Some helpful people have tied it down to stop it blowing away during some wind gusts, and then advise on what to do to stop it happening again. Really helpful.

I thought with the influx of nuffies onto the van life circuit, the experienced caravaners may have been a little resentful. Caravan sales are through the roof, and it is getting more and more difficult to just turn up and expect to have a spot at a caravan park. I suppose like all good cults, they are happy to have new members joining, and we are in their temple.