Double Island Point Camping Trip

Shayne’s recount of our weekend camp trip to Double Island Point in December 2019. This is our local camp spot not too far from home.

Day 1

There’s nothing quite like beachside camping around Christmas time. The heat, the sand in all your places, the stinging of the sandflies….ahhhh! We decided to take a little weekend trip to our local – Double Island.

This meant arranging puppy sitting for young Sadza the Cobberdog. Although he’d thoroughly enjoyed his first camping experience in Kenilworth recently Double Island is a National Park and sadly he could not accompany us. He definitely looked a bit down in the dumps as we packed up but luckily his grandparents had come to get some beach time of their own and volunteered to look after him.

We set off dogless. Weekend temperatures were expected to get to 37 degrees. By 9am it was already 31 degrees. Our drive down the beach was Peter’s first experience of the new mud tires on the sand which was apparently a little more challenging (don’t know who said that cause it was a load of nonsense). Even though it was a Friday a lot of the shadier spots were already taken. As we drove through the unoccupied sites remaining we startled a small boy who had evidently thought he’d found a nice private spot for a wee – only to be face to face with an oncoming Land Cruiser! Eventually we found one with a little shade in a quiet valley between the dunes. Quiet that is except for intermittent site seekers driving behind the dunes and getting stuck going up the sandy slope. This did at least provide some entertainment.

We got to setting up. The roof of the car and the sand were scorching. At one stage Peter called out for me to come and prop him up as he stood on the tire getting things down as the roof was too hot to hold on to. I scurried urgently out of the tent where I was making the bed and obediently tried to prop him up by pushing his butt up. This was ineffective for two reasons – firstly I am really not very strong and secondly in my haste I’d forgotten my shoes and so was hopping from one foot to the other.

Anyhoo, following that we did manage to complete our set up without too much further injury. By that time we were soaked with sweat and covered in sand. At last it was time for a swim! We were in and out of the ocean at least three times over the course of the afternoon. At one point a day tripper pulled over while we were swimming. He looked around furtively but obviously didn’t spot us as he went around the back of his car and did a quick wee. Peter pointed this out to me – I had a good chuckle but was dealt instant karma as I was so busy laughing I didn’t notice a large wave and got knocked over and dragged along the ocean floor a bit! On the last occasion that we went in the waves had become even bigger. As it was getting tougher I decided to get out. Easier said than done… I made it halfway back to the beach before realising that I was going to get smashed again and had to leap back under a massive approaching wave. Peter was surprised to see me back out there! On the second attempt I timed it right and made it to the shore with my dignity intact!

Richard and Amanda turned up later that evening. Richard was not in a happy mood thanks to the horrendous traffic from Brisbane – a definite disadvantage to going to the Sunshine Coast on the weekend! By then there was a bit of a howling gale along the beach. Fortunately our little spot was nicely sheltered. As the others did their set up (sensibly in the cool evening) Peter got to cooking the delicious burgers he had premade and vacuum sealed. Perfectly grilled on the Weber (as there was a total fire ban) and accompanied by a sensational mango and avocado salad from Amanda they went down a treat.

Day 2

Our second day dawned clear and hot, hot, hot! Peter ground some fresh coffee with his handheld device which woke us up nicely. Richard and Amanda hadn’t slept so well as there had apparently been some hooning on the beach in the night. Peter and I, with ear plugs in, hadn’t noticed! Some latecomers has also set up next door and directed their spotlights straight at their tent until Richard emerged and encouraged them to turn them off with some pointed gestures.

Anyway, all awake now, we set off round to the Rainbow Beach side of the point for our morning visit to the loos with the views of the stunning bay. This accomplished we decided it was a bit too breezy for paddling in the bay, so headed back and picked a spot just down from the Lighthouse on the other side of the point. Fortunately we had our huge Drifta awning which Peter was becoming an expert at setting up solo. Amanda and I lounged in the shade, reading and napping. Peter and Richard bounded off into the waves to paddle board and kayak. At one point I leapt up in a panic; I’d spotted someone in the surf clinging to a paddle board with a jet ski rider circling. To my relief it was not Peter requiring a rescue at sea but a group attempting some water skiing with a drone hovering above. The day was scorching but the water was absolutely icy – a nice contrast but you couldn’t stay in too long.

By lunch time the wind was getting a bit intense so we once again went to the Rainbow Beach side. We settled in by the multicoloured columns and cliffs of sand. It was very beautiful, spoiled only but the complete noobs who had felt the urge to carve their names into the sides over the years. After lunch, which we made easily with all our kitchen drawers and fridge accessible, we had a dip. Surprisingly the water on the bay side was almost warm and the surf was very flat so we floated about for ages.

It was then time for Amanda and I to do some proper sleeping. While we relaxed, Richard persuaded Peter to go for a walk, despite the heat. I awoke quite a bit later, judging from the angle of the sun. I’d had a great sleep but was puzzled as to where the boys were. Just then they came into view, both coated in orange dust and with Peter looking very jittery. Turns out that their walk had become more of a climb (Richard being an avid rock climber) and that there had been moments when Peter feared for his life! To recover we went for some warm showers ($2 for 5 minutes!) at the nearby campsite. I acted as an intermediary, passing conditioner between the girls in the shower stalls on either side of mine!

As we drove back along the beach we noticed that the sites had certainly filled up. The far end looked very rowdy with many inebriated and half naked youths yelling and gesturing enthusiastically at passing cars. We were grateful to have a spot in a more sedate area – definitely too old for all that!

We got back in good time to get the roast started. Once again Peter had done an excellent job. He’d applied a slightly spicy rub as well as garlic and rosemary. Once the Weber had roasted it to perfection the lamb went down well with the accompanying roast Veges and broccolini as well as a nice glass of wine. Our topic of conversation turned to our chances of surviving an apocalypse. I’d always thought that being turned into a zombie almost immediately would be the best option… it looked quite relaxing just stumbling about mindlessly. Richard pointed out that I’d smell but I countered that I wouldn’t know so that would be alright! Anyway we all decided that we’d stick with Richard in the apocalypse scenario as he outlined a pretty convincing plan with a ruthless approach to potential threats so maybe I wouldn’t have to be a zombie after all!

Day 3

Our last day was more overcast and quite a bit cooler. We pretty much immediately got to packing. Amanda was not best pleased to find that a small mouse had tried to sneak into their tent and unfortunately been squished under the air mattress!

The packing process was getting easier as we got more accustomed to our new 4WD and set up. However my toilet tent put up a massive fight. Peter attempted to fold it about five hundred ways but it relentlessly sprang back up again. Bad words were said. Eventually it was subdued enough to wrangle it back into its bag after a fashion. After one last swim to get rid of the sweat and sand we were on our way home. We stopped at the car wash to get a little sand and salt off although Peter would spend the afternoon under the car with the hose once home to ensure no grain remained! It was exceptionally busy as everyone seemed to be leaving at once. After a bit of a rinse we left the crowds behind. We parted ways with Richard and Amanda after making some tentative plans for a trip to Moreton Island. We then headed home to reunite with a very happy Cobberdog and start the great clean!

The thoughts of Shayne.

Check out our short video on YouTube of this trip below.

For more adventure stories by Shayne check these posts out here.

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Hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for reading legends.