SEQ – Daytrip to Great Sandy Nat Park, Cooloola Beach - 17th Nov

[Hazza Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hazza]

Robert,

Sorry but unfortunately I now have to work and cannot make it this trip.

Always keen so looking forward to the next one.

Hazza

[DSS150 Find all posts View Profile Close DSS150]

Hi Robert,

Nice fine morning down here on the Gold Coast!

See you shortly along with others still coming.

Dan

[Jeffers Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jeffers]

Robert,

Sorry for the late notice, but I also could not get out of work…

Have a great day!

[ROY07 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ROY07]

Great day today was good to finally meet some fellow Pradopointers, thanks to Robert for organising the trip. Hope you all made it home safe. See you all next time.

Troy.

[GUV Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close GUV]

Thanks for organising the day Robert, we had a great day and we're looking forward to the next one.

Did you sort out the electrical gremlin?

Lurker.

[LYTNING Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close LYTNING]

Wish I could have made it along. I'm sure it would have been a good day out.

I was going to say that helping my elderly mother move house was just as much fun...........but that would be a bare faced lie.

[gumboot Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close gumboot]

My pleasure GUV/ Troy, Nice to meet you both and glad you had a good day.

It was fine after you left, looks like just a loose plug on the sensor.
I put on the Techstream on when I got home, and all ABS parameters came back normal and no codes present
Cheers
Robert

[Richoson Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Richoson]

Where's the piccy's Robert? I thought about going but the trick knee is playing up.

See ya on the tracks, Richo.

[gumboot Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close gumboot]

Quick Trip Summary
A week or so before this trip the weather up here turned, and we had a solid week of rain and storms. On the day before the trip the region had a huge storm and heavy hail, so it wasn’t looking promising for the Sunday trip. Buy being a stoic bunch we decided to chance it, early Sunday morning we awoke to an overcast day but no rain. Excellent!

We met up at the BP on the M1 half way up to our destination at 7.30am. There were initially four of us meeting here and as we were about to go, we noticed a little 3 door 150 slide in next to us. He wandered over and introduced himself as “ Hi I am a Lurker” anywhere else we would have quietly nodded , backed away looking to see if he had any sharp implements…. But he mentioned Pradopoint and we finally put a name to our “Lurker .” Glad you could come along “GUV”.

About an hour up the road we picked up Troy and his family (who incidentally turned out not to be axe wielding maniacs either), 2 from 2, so all was good in the world.

We made up way up Kin- Kin road to the start of Cooloola way where we dropped the try pressures down. From here it was a drive out to Harrys hut for morning tea.

The pleasant drive to Harrys hut.



Parked up for morning tea



Check out those 285s on the 150 shorty.



Info about Harrys Hut



The tannin coloured Noosa river


After a chat and quick bite, we made our way back to Cooloola way and headed up. You could see a lot more water had settled on the harder soil here. Half way up Cooloola way it was fenced of so we chose to tread lightly and found a few parallel roads up without backtracking for any bitumen work. Then taking some fire trails we worked out way up to rainbow beach road. It was an enjoyable drive with some nice views over the park

Logging operations in full swing.



There was plenty of water around from the rain


Cont 2.

[gumboot Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close gumboot]

From here we ran up rainbow beach road to northern end entry of freshwater. The sand had been hard packed with the recent rain and was a very easy drive. We stopped for a late lunch at the Freshwater picnic area. A few of the large goannas were sighted but ran away quickly.

All morning we had great weather, even some sunshine and no rain. But after lunch Jim with his BOM App was picking up two closing in storms on their way ( you could have been a weather forcaster mate !) and we could hear the thunder. Not wanting to call it quits yet, we ran up to the cherry venture and up Leisha track to Rainbow beach, we was an enjoyable soft sand drive

Check out the storm closign in....



Dan exiting Leisha track. Exhaust looks and sounds great mate.



On Rainbow beach




The thunder was getting louder and the tide on the way in, so back along Leisha track and we ran all the way down the beach. It is one of the great beaches up, especially on a sunny day. A smooth run to the exit where the sand was a little soft. No probes for a prado but. In fact not once did anyone get stuck on the day.
We loaded up on the ferry to cross the river.






We all stopped to air up and it was only now did it start to rain at the end of the day, so the timing turned out perfectly . We puled in for a pie on the way home at Beefys and to stretch the legs and it was then that the storm hit with a vengeance. Absolutely bucketed down on the way home but looking on the bright side , it washed the Prado’s clean of all the sand and salt.

I didn’t manage to get many photos this trip as we were up front over the day but I am sure there are plenty of others. Thank you to everybody who turned up. We had a great day and hope you did as well, it’s always good to meet some new people and the occasional “Luker”…
Until next trip

Cheers
Robert

[Hutch Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hutch]

Nice one Rob, lucky i didn't make it ended up in bed sick as.

[pradogang Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pradogang]

Thanks Robert for organizing a great day. It was good to meet some of the Prado folk from South East Queensland. The rain did bucket down on the way home but I still managed to find some sand to flush out this morning.

Our fearless leader!!

[DSS150 Find all posts View Profile Close DSS150]

Thanks again Robert for organising another thoroughly enjoyable SEQ outing.
Shan is right, you missed your calling as a tour guide!

Was a long day in the saddle for us, leaving home at 5.45am and arriving back home in the evening at 8pm.

The weather was kind to us for the better part of the day but boy did it bucket down on the way home!!

Down to 70km/hr on the highway with very poor visibility.

We would definitely like to explore the area more, but if time permits would enjoy the weekend up there with overnight camp on the beachfront.
I need to give the Taj Mahal we saw a run for its money, Robert.

All in all an fun day with great company, great to catch up with familiar faces and to meet new folks.
No axe/chainsaw weilding maniacs on this trip..... well not this time anyway... lol!

Robert, you'll be happy to know my cable tied exhaust had no rattles all the way home.

And from what I hear your Christmas Tree did not reappear on the way home either. Still maybe time to trade up to a 150? hahaha


Airing down once we hit the rough stuff




Obligatory Convoy Shot




Checking out Harry's Hut

[DSS150 Find all posts View Profile Close DSS150]

Having a chat before morning tea




Down at the River




Heading out through the logging tracks

[DSS150 Find all posts View Profile Close DSS150]

One of the elusive monitors(?) at lunch




Group shot at Rainbow beach as the rain closed in




The calendar shot