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2 Weeks Road Trip from Brisbane to Yeppoon
Camping with Kids in Australia
Nobember 2021
Since Liam is still young, we planned shorter travel times of around 3-4 hours between stops. This meant that in our two-week trip, we kept moving, staying only two nights in most places. Our ultimate destination was Keppel Island, near Yeppoon, which I’d heard was stunning, so I couldn’t wait to see it for myself! If we drove straight from Brisbane, it would have taken around eight hours, but we decided to take our time.
Usually, our travel style is a bit more relaxed—we like to settle in one place for a while and really enjoy a slow-paced, extended stay. This time, though, I realize we may have been a bit ambitious. Instead of staying in accommodations, we camped, which meant setting up and packing down the tent every few days. Doing that every three days was quite tiring and time-consuming. We also had a lot of gear, so we had to pack some of the larger items on the roof rack and secure them tightly each time we moved.
With Liam at 18 months, he’s at the age where he can’t sit still for long! He’s always on the go, so one of us needed to keep him entertained while we were packing and setting up. This added an extra layer of challenge to the journey. But as always, we learned a lot through the experience and came away with new insights for our next adventure!
Brisbane to Sandstone Point Holiday Resort
Our first stop was Sandstone Point Holiday Resort, a campsite we’d been to before and loved. We planned to stay there for two nights.
In our family, mornings always start early since everyone’s up at the crack of dawn. 😊 So, we packed everything up in a rush, skipped breakfast, and hit the road first thing. On the way, we stopped at a French bakery to grab coffee and croissants to enjoy in the car. There’s also a Costco along the route, so we swung by to stock up on essentials—some meat, salad, ready-to-eat shrimp for lunch, water, and a few other basics.
Between all these stops, a drive that normally takes an hour ended up taking us four! But once we arrived, it was right around lunchtime, so we quickly set up the tent, then dug into a simple meal of Costco salad and shrimp. After that, it was time to head straight to the water for some fun!
We spent our time just lying in the water and playing together. Since it was early in the trip, everyone’s faces were filled with pure happiness. 😊
Most of the people camping here had kids, so right next to us, there was an Australian family with a child around Liam’s age, and the two of them got along really well and played together.
The next morning, as usual, we kept breakfast simple. Coffee is super important to us, so we made sure to bring our coffee machine along. We’re not fans of going to a café first thing in the morning, so having coffee right outside the tent as soon as we wake up is just the best!
Liam had strawberry jam toast and milk for breakfast, just like us!
Since Liam doesn’t have his own table, the container always doubles as his little dining table! :)
The time we were camping happened to be during a season when a typhoon was coming, so the forecast said it would rain every day. But luckily, the rain didn’t show up as often as expected. On this particular day, though, it rained in the morning. So, we took the kids to an indoor play area to avoid the rain and spent the morning there. The place had air conditioning, and the facilities were great!
By the afternoon, the rain stopped, so we headed back out for some water fun. After two nights, we always pack up early the next morning and leave around 9 a.m. after everything’s all packed up.
Hervey Bay – Ingenia Holidays
It took us 3 hours to get to Hervey Bay. We stayed at the Ingenia Holidays campground. It had a small swimming pool, a playground, and a TV room. The facilities were pretty standard, just your typical Aussie campground.
On the first day, the weather was great, so we spent most of the time enjoying the pool, the playground, and just relaxing around the campground.
It started drizzling from the evening. To get to the camp kitchen, we had to walk, and even though it wasn’t too far, we had to brave the rain. For dinner, we made hamburgers, then spent some time in the TV room before heading to bed early.
But then, we found out a typhoon was on its way…
The next morning, the storm was already in full force. The rain and wind were crazy, and I was honestly worried the tent might start leaking or even get blown away. I was feeling really uneasy.
Since I couldn’t keep Liam, my energetic 18-month-old, cooped up in the tent all day, we decided to head to a shopping center for shelter. Thankfully, Hervey Bay is a pretty big town, so there was a shopping center nearby.
We spent a few hours there, had lunch, and by the afternoon, when Liam was napping, we returned to the campsite.
Liam looked so cute napping on his stomach—he was really still just a baby back then!
Meanwhile, Eddie decided to go out in the storm and connect the gazebo to the tent. He was getting soaked by the wind and rain, trying to position the tent halfway inside the gazebo. In hindsight, that was a big mistake. The wind picked up, and the tent started moving, causing it to scrape against the gazebo and tear a hole in it. Thankfully, it was just the tent cover that got damaged, so it could’ve been worse. I was worried about water getting in, but luckily, we made it through the day without any major issues.
This was my first time camping during such a strong storm, and I think from now on, I won’t be as worried about any rainstorms during camping trips!
The next morning, we woke up to clear skies, and the weather was beautiful again.
The sky was so clear, it’s hard to believe a typhoon had passed through just the day before!
Since it was our departure day, we packed up and headed to the free water park in Hervey Bay City to let the kids play. After a fun time there, we left around lunchtime and made our way to a place called 1770.
This is the free water park in Hervey Bay City!
1770 and Agnes Water
The town’s name is 1770—pretty interesting, right? I just had to visit when I heard about it. When we got there, it turned out to be the perfect little town, exactly what I imagined. It felt like what Byron Bay must’ve been like before it became so popular.
Byron Bay has changed a lot over the years. It’s gotten so commercialized now, with high prices and it’s hard to find that cozy, quaint vibe it used to have.
But 1770 is charming in its own way. The cafes have an island style, and it felt like there were lots of surfers and hippies living there.
We stayed at the 1770 Camping Ground. The facilities weren’t anything special, and honestly, we didn’t have high expectations. But the campground is right by a quiet beach, surrounded by nature, which was perfect for the kids to play. The restrooms were pretty old and a bit dirty… Agnes Water’s campsite seemed to have better facilities, but it was already fully booked. Still, 1770 is pretty popular, especially with Australians who love this spot.
Overall, we enjoyed the campsite, but the outdated facilities made things a bit difficult, especially with Liam. It was a bit of a hassle when it came to bath time or using the restrooms, but we made it work!
The beachfront campsite was still amazing. In the afternoon, sitting on the beach with a cold beer while watching the sunset was the perfect way to relax.
Waking up in the morning and stepping out of the tent straight onto the beach with a cup of coffee—it was pure happiness. I always wake up first, enjoy my coffee, and have a little alone time before Liam wakes up. Once he’s up, there’s no time for quiet moments anymore! :)
Agnes Water Beach had great waves, and Liam absolutely loved it! The beach was so spacious, it was a sight to see.
Liam really loves water, but I didn’t realize just how much he’d enjoy the waves. It seemed like he thought the waves were chasing him! 😊 Every time the waves came, he’d be off running away, and then he’d lie down and play around again, having the best time. It was so fun to watch!
We spent the whole afternoon at the beach, bringing along our beach gazebo and sand toys for some fun in the sun.
TIP: If you want to visit the famous Lady Musgrave Island, you can actually catch a tour from here! There are tour companies offering day trips, and you can book a tour to go. We didn’t know about this when we arrived, and since we didn’t have enough time, we couldn’t make it. But we found out about it while exploring the town, so it’s definitely on our list for next time!
Yeppoon / Keppel Island
Finally, we’re heading to our ultimate destination—Keppel Island! We only stayed one night in Yeppoon and then headed straight to the island the next day.
It looks like you’ve used the English version I provided! Let me know if you’d like any adjustments or if you’d like to add more details. 😊
As we approached the island, the color of the water started to change, and it was just so beautiful!
There’s no dock on the island, so they drop you off directly on the beach. They bring you to about thigh-deep water, and then you have to walk the rest of the way. You have to walk across the sandy shore to get to the resort. It wasn’t easy with the kids, but we managed!
We stayed at Great Keppel Island Hideaway, and at that time, due to COVID, it was the only accommodation on the island. When we arrived, they showed us to our room, and then it was free time. Since this was the only resort on the island, the prices were quite high, but honestly, the quality was worse than a motel.
There were even huge cockroaches in the room! The water was saltwater, so they provided filtered water in the rooms, but the showers were just saltwater. For the entire 2-night, 3-day stay, I can’t even describe how uncomfortable it was. The room was dark and dusty, and it felt like we were staying in a place that hadn’t been cleaned properly in ages.
With an 18-month-old Liam, who was rolling around on the floor, running, and touching everything, it was really hard to relax.
Still, the beach was so beautiful that we made the most of it. Every morning, we grabbed something quick for breakfast and went to the beach to eat. For lunch and dinner, we had to buy from the resort since there were no cooking facilities available.
You could also go snorkeling, and there were other water sports available as well.
We did some sand play and even took a nap on the beach. Liam has so much energy, so it’s usually hard to get him to nap, but after playing nonstop all day, his eyes just started closing on their own! 😊
The reception staff mentioned that there’s another beach on the other side of the island, so since we didn’t have much else planned for the 2-night, 3-day stay, we decided to visit that other beach one day.
We were so excited when we set off, but once we crossed the sea, we had to climb through a cliffside path to get there.
Even with all that, the view of the sea was just stunning! ♥
Eddie was carrying the lunch bag, and I ended up carrying it all while Eddie held Liam. I had to walk through what felt like a jungle, with steep cliffside paths, holding Liam the whole way. It was really dangerous-looking, and I couldn’t help but feel how risky it all seemed.
And this beautiful sea was waiting for us at the end of the trek! 🌊
As soon as we arrived, I quickly opened the lunch bag, gave Liam his juice, and immediately cracked open a beer for myself! 😄
Liam is becoming quite the little explorer! Now, he can play so well with just stacking stones, even without toys. It’s amazing how much he’s grown and how much he can entertain himself!
Taking photos together was really tough…
Liam is a free spirit…
After spending half the day there, we had to trek back through that tough path to return to the resort.
Final Journey
By the end of the trip, Liam had gotten so used to the road trip life that he’d find a spot to sit wherever he could, sipping his juice, looking completely relaxed.
We had planned the final leg of our journey to return to Brisbane, but with COVID regulations in place, the government required that we had received both doses of the vaccine in order to do anything. Since we hadn’t gotten our shots yet, we had to rush back to Brisbane before the deadline.
So, we stayed a day in Yeppoon, another in Bundaberg, and then headed straight back to Brisbane.
While we were in Bundaberg, I got bitten a lot by sand flies… ㅠㅠ I had been fine throughout the whole trip, but of course, on the last day, I got attacked by them!
The best way to handle sand fly bites is to take allergy medicine. It helps the swelling and itching go down in just a day or two. You can find it at the pharmacy, and there are other brands available, so it doesn’t have to be the exact one I used. If you don’t take anything, though, it can be an endless itchy nightmare!
In Australia, jellyfish are pretty common too. If you happen to get stung, it feels like being sliced with a knife at first – really painful. But after about a day, the pain turns into intense itching. It can be unbearable!
The best way to deal with it is to take allergy medicine, which helps calm it down much quicker. It makes a big difference, trust me!
BIG 4 Sandstone point holiday resort : Camping with a Little One
