Postcards from the Road - North Stradbroke Island, QLD

Days on the Road 14 | Traveled 1416 ks | Campgrounds 3
Temp 11°C - 25°C | Water temp 24°C
Catch of fish | Silver Bream 16 | Dusky Flathead 2 | Sand Whiting 7

Yes, butter to my bread, basil to my tomato, rosemary to my lamb…but rain to my camping, just does not hold the same romance. Speaking of bread we stopped off in Tweed Heads at the Bread Social to grab a loaf of seeded sourdough before proceeding north into Queensland. The rain drizzled as we entered the sunshine state, and the misty showers persisted for what was a rather drab ferry crossing from Cleveland to the port at Dunwich on North Stradbroke Island, QLD. Fortunately it did not dampen our sense of adventure. Graciously the skies cleared enough for us to set up camp, and once settled we enjoyed a twilight stroll on Home Beach, where we were treated to a glorious sunset over Adder Rock. That evening it rained cats and dogs and possibly a few native birds, however cosy in our little camper we laughed and only temporarily thought about the large comfortable home we had left behind to have this adventure.

‘Straddie’ as the locals call it packs a lot into a small inhabited space. Our capacity to 4WD drive onto the vast beaches here enabled us to fully explore the more remote places. Despite the gloomy start, it has been a glut of sunshiny days, beach fishing, salty swims, long walks, beach picnics and a vibrant palette of colours on show as the sun goes down at the end of each day. The nights have been colder than we anticipated, much gratitude for the couple of blankets I threw in at the last minute just in case and the Possum Merino socks our dear friend Silvia gifted us for the road, that have kept our tootsies warm in the evenings.

An abundance of fresh caught bream led to a camp made crumbed bream burger and the colder weather inspired a one pan chicken fried rice in the camp kitchen.

North Stradbroke Island
Minjerribah Camping - we chose Adder Rock Camping Ground - a short walk to Home Beach and Adder Rock Beach, and a quick drive to the 4WD access track to Flinders Beach & Amity Point.
Ocean views from many campsites & three minute hot showers!
North Gorge Walk - an easy board walk with some stairs, spectacular views of the rugged, exposed coastline north and south ~ about 1.6km loop. Take a jacket the southerly wind blows hard.
Main Beach - 4WD access at George Nothling Drive - long beach 4WD driving and more importantly collecting pipis for bait for the fisherman
Point Lookout - sunny place to sit on the headland, spectacular sunrises & dolphin & whale watching with gelato available just across the road
Frenchman’s Beach - a lot of stairs down to a secluded beach, lovely long beach walk, and in the protected south corner, potential for an un-patrolled dip in the ocean (for the surf aware, strong swimmers only)
Deadman’s Beach - we walked part of the Mooloomba Loop down to the picnic area and beach.
Adder Rock Beach - locals and campers flock here at dusk to be mesmerised by the colours of the sky as another day closes. This is THE place to be at sunset, beverage in hand.

The Prawn Shack fresh seafood and highly acclaimed prawn rolls. We scored a kilo of small tiger prawns, salty and sweet and made our own prawn roll back at camp.

The Blue Room for smoothies and home made carrot cake with a view, you may have to jostle a little for a spot on the sunny front deck
The Beach Hotel - Bistro & Waves Bar lunch or dinner with large outdoor beer garden that faces the ocean. We had the Grilled Moreton Bay Bugs with Garlic, herbs & fennel butter sauce, why wouldn’t you with Moreton Bay just across the water.

Postcards from the Road - Far North Coast, NSW

Days on the Road 9 | Traveled 924 ks | Campgrounds 2
Temp 16°C - 21°C | Water temp 24°C
Catch of fish | Silver Bream 9 | Dusky Flathead 2 | Sand Whiting 6

We are on the road for six months doing a lap of Australia, Mr G (the fisherman) & me (the cook & photographer) together chasing the sun and a catch of seafood. The coastal places are what we crave and where we will spend most of our days, with occasional detours inland to see landscapes (although void of fish) paying dividends in colour and form.

Wetting our feet literally at Scotts Head for our first three nights in the camper trailer, we managed to calmly erect our side annex to provide extra shelter from the rain. The fisherman undeterred by the menacing, grey skies was straight to it, bringing home a bag of bream caught off the beach the first day. Simply pan fried in butter, lemon and rosemary and shared with friends camping nearby made for a wonderful start.

In an attempt to run from the rain we scooted further up the NSW coast to Cabarita Beach, where we’ve been for five days and the sunshine has been plentiful, objective achieved. Our approach to road trip life is to stay a few days in one place to avoid the set up/pack down routine where possible. Taking your time on the back roads is where you'll get the roadside stall produce finds and day trips to explore the surrounds, are way more pleasant when you know you don’t have to return to make your bed at the end of the adventure.

Cabarita Beach
Walk & swim ~ Cabarita Beach to Casuarina Beach return
Norries Headland Walk to watch the dolphins & whales pass by
Fishing at Hastings Point for whiting and bream
Breakfast Bacon & Egg Rolls at Pandanus Cafe at Cabarita SLSC
Twilight Barefoot Bowls at Cabarita Beach Bowls Club
An inland drive to Mavis Kitchen where you’ll find nestled at the base of the majestic Wollumbin-Mt Warning, a twenty five-acre former dairy farm, now home to a rich organic kitchen garden and restaurant.

Day trip to Brunswick Heads
Kayak fishing and paddle boarding on the Brunswick River (albeit brown waters after the rains)
Swimming at Torakini Beach
An afternoon in the iconic beer garden at Hotel Brunswick

Day trip to Tamborine Mountain
Breakfast (Mushroom Risotto Fritters / Tamborine Mtn Beef Sausages) & Lunch (Nourish Bowl / Bombay Fish Burger) at Picnic Real Food Bar
Curtis Falls & Lower Creek Circuit: Rainforest walk & water hole swim (hiking boots & walking poles advised as it was very muddy after the rains).
Tamborine Mountain Hang Glider Lookout - expansive views of the western Gold Coast hinterland and magnificent sunsets

Grilled Corn with Spiced Chive Butter

Corn is the perfect summer vegetable ‘finger food’ and sure to result in butter dribbling down your chin. Lightly steamed and finished on the grill or barbecue, then dressed up with loads of spiced chive butter and cheese – so delicious!

V GF
serves 6
what you need
6 ears of corn, shucked and cut in half
100g butter, softened
¼ tsp poudre de piment d’Espelette
(you can use sweet or hot paprika instead)
1/3 cup finely chopped chives
¼ cup (25g) finely grated parmesan
sea salt and ground white pepper to taste
¼ cup (25g) finely grated parmesan, extra, and lime wedges, to serve

what you do
1. Cook the corn in a steamer for 5-7 minutes, until just tender and bright yellow in colour (test with a small sharp knife). Remember it will continue to cook once removed from the steamer so get it out sooner than later.
2. Preheat a large chargrill pan or barbeque on a high heat. Drizzle corn with oil and cook for 4-5 minutes, turning regularly until slightly charred all over.
3. Meanwhile, combine the butter, spice, chives and parmesan and season to taste.
4. Pierce each corn cob with a skewer to use as a handle. Spread the spiced butter over the hot corn, sprinkle with grated cheese and serve with a squeeze of lime.

poudre de piment d’Espelette (literally ‘pepper of Espelette’ in French, otherwise known as Espelette pepper) is a hot, dried red chilli powder from the Basque region in Southern France. This unique spice carries a warm fruity flavour and mild chilli heat, making it a versatile addition to savoury dishes, marinades, rubs and seasonings. Available in speciality stores, close substitutes would be paprika, hot paprika, cayenne pepper or Aleppo pepper, depending on the heat of spice required. 

©Jane Grover - Our Delicious Adventure – Recipes and Stories of Food and Travel