Agnes Waters, QLD

Where: Agnes Waters Beach Holidays, 70kms north of Bundaberg, on the QLD Central Coast.

When: Easter Holidays, 2016

The Rundown: It was a bit of a fluke that we got to visit Agnes Waters in the middle of the Easter holidays without even booking (don’t count on that ever happening again!). Our GCM (General Camp Manager) Fernanda phoned the day before and got the Jeffs a powered site on a very lucky-last-minute cancelation.  It was the only available site in the whole caravan park, but there just so happened to be lonely Chalet unoccupied.  So the Mcs made the gut-wrenching sacrifice of not setting up their camper-trailer for this stop, instead opting to spend a couple of nights with a real bed, aircon, bathroom, mini-kitchen and deck overlooking the ocean, with a view to kill for.

It was difficult for them, but they bravely persisted.

 

CEO Kai adding the ‘final touches’ to the Jeff’s setup.

The Park is right on the beach. Not ‘over-the-road’ on the beach, or ‘on the hill’ above the beach…I mean, right ON the beach.  It was absolutely beautiful. We spent the majority of our time in the water.  The beach is patrolled all year round – another huge bonus and reassurance, especially with the kids.

 

We love swimming and hanging out at pools but… I’m about to get deep and poetic here for a second so hold onto your hats. There is something quite surreal about swimming in the ocean.  A connection with nature, an appreciation of the power and magnitude of the water around us, the rhythm of the waves, the movement of our bodies as we shift our balance; being in an environment that contains and sustains life.  Agnes Waters was no exception.

The swell was large enough for the big kids (and the CEOs) to get some decent rides on the body boards, but not too big that we couldn’t take the little ones out with us safely.

I must give a mention to the Café at the Park. It was like a boutique beach café had been picked up off the beach at Byron and dropped right in to Agnes.  This place has every kind of coffee, a delightful breakfast and lunch menu, snacks, treats and beverages in cute containers that make you feel like a hipster. And then there are the trendy stools to sit on at the bench overlooking the beach while drinking your cute drink and feeling like a hipster.  The café is right next to a large, open grassy area where the kids can run, play, kick a ball and most importantly – give you ten minutes of peace to drink your tea while it’s still actually hot.  Do you remember that? Hot tea?  It’s soooo good.

The McJeffs met up with some wonderful friends from home (again…by sheer luck!) who were more than happy to show us around.   From Agnes Waters, it was a quick drive down the road to the Paperbark Forest Walk – a short but very pretty track, well worth a visit.  Don’t take a pram, if you have a bubba or a toddler you will need to carry them over the bollards/stepping stones.  It’s a short walk, you’ll be fine!

Then, it’s only a 10 minute drive to the town of 1770….another beautiful part of the world! You can read all about 1770 soon!

More 1770 to come!

 

The Tips: It was a little squeezy where we were set up at Site 4, but that could have had something to do with the caravan, three tents and a pergola on the site right next to us ( I bet the pack? flock? herd?… ah, got it! …’skulk’ of teenagers were stoked when they realised we had an early rising one-year-old).  When we come back we will definitely be booking well in advance, and will try and get on Site 51 or 52. This is where you want to be. Prime position!

The amenities are always locked and you do need to pay a $20 cash deposit for keys to use them. This is understandably to stop beach goers who are not park-patrons from using the facilities.

I personally found the bathrooms to be a bit stuffy and squeezy – however, the Mcs were very content with their private chalet ensuite on stilts! You might want to bring a bucket to bath the babies in as there wasn’t a family bathroom, or you could just be like me and declare that three ocean swims a day and a rinse under the beach shower = clean.  That’s a fair enough equation right?

Speaking of kids, this photo perfectly sums up the Jeffs children.  We call them Captain Cautious (the helmet was his idea, safety always comes first) and Dame Dauntless.  I’m pretty sure she’s thinking, ‘Yeh I reckon I can jump from here!’

 

There is an IGA, petrol station and quite a few take-aways/restaurants just around the corner so don’t stress if you don’t get your groceries packed before you get there. Just relax, have a swim and get your shopping done once you are all set up.

The Windup: Agnes Waters is a beautiful place to be.  Two nights were not enough, and not because there was so much to do, there was just so much to take in.  The wonderful company definitely contributed to the relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.  Just picture this; late afternoon, sitting on the ‘lawn’ watching the sun set, cool ocean breeze, bubbles and nibbles with our friends and the kids (seven between us!) happily playing together.  That was a lasting and special memory, and something we would love to go back and re-live for a little longer.  That…and a chance to try out some more items on the Café breakfast menu!

Take me back. *Sigh*.

 

The McJeffs were very lucky to get in here at late notice (as the reception staff reminded us…more than once). We paid full rates for our assorted accommodation, and our views and opinions are entirely those of the McJeffs.  I wonder if your views and opinions are the same as ours.  Have you been there? Why don’t you go to Agnes Waters and let us know?!