Lazy Weekend - Hervey Bay, Queensland. Australia

Located in South East Queensland, just north of the Sunshine Coast, and south of the Bundaberg North Burnett region, Hervey Bay is approximately a 3 hours’ drive north of Brisbane. The tiny seaside town of Hervey Bay is our relaxing area with local markets, coastal paradise of 13km of incredible beachside views complete with safe swimming, plenty of BBQ areas and no crowds. Dotted along the Hervey Bay Esplanade are cosmopolitan and alfresco cafés, shops, parklands, picnic areas, playgrounds, piers and a vibrant marina.

We once again stayed at Pet Friendly Best Western Plus Quarter Decks Retreat in a 2 bedroom Villa with plenty of space, including swimming pool, spa and sauna close to the beach and Urangan Harbour. For a slice of paradise with your pup, you can’t go wrong with a trip to the Fraser Coast in Queensland. Proudly home to some of Queensland’s greatest icons – the World Heritage-listed Fraser Island and the exclusive coral cay of Lady Elliot Island at the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, the stunning coastline offers an abundance of dog friendly places to eat, drink, explore and stay.

We arrived midday and dropped into one of our favourite dog friendly café Bayaroma. The coffee here is great and very consistent.  We had breakfast here with our pup last time we were in town. The food was stunning, plentiful and the staffs were friendly, helpful and timely, which is why we went back. They are a family owned and operated café known for their amazing coffee, all day big brekkies and is a mixture of Modern Australian cuisine including seafood, chicken and meat dishes as well as fresh salads and gourmet sandwiches to order.

After light lunch we headed back to our accommodation for an afternoon chilling by the pool, sipping some drinks and listening to some tunes. This weekend was more about relaxing and not adventure and sightseeing.

The next day arose and we were excited to finally check out Enzo’s On The Beach. Enzo’s unique beach front cafe and bar offers stunning water views, a delicious menu and dog friendly seating. It’s not hard to see why this beach gem is popular amongst the locals. You can sit out on the front deck with a good cup of coffee and watch the crashing ocean wave’s just metres away, all with your pup by your side. Water bowls are available for thirsty pups and there is shade covering the deck area to keep you and your pooch cool. 

The food menu offers an all-day breakfast menu with an abundance of choice, along with a great selection of share foods and larger meals also available for the lunch time feed. I got the usual Big Breakfast, because Shari (pup) eats most it while Kim tried the Canadian Waffles with Bacon and Nutella. We placed our order via the friendly staff and even though the place was fairly busy the wait for the food and coffee to arrive was minimal. We loved the place so much we booked for dinner.

Breakfast done it was time for Shari (pup) to have a little run, so we headed down to Urangan Foreshore at Margaret Street where she enjoyed a splash and play at the 24hr off-leash golden beach. Just a few paw steps away is the dog friendly Bayswater Hotel. Kim checked out The Ibis Next Door Shop.

We skipped the Torquay markets and opted to head to the iconic Urangan Pier Park Community Markets. There is a large range of Local and Regional produce on offer, organic produce, fresh flowers, spices, olives and delicatessen goods, artworks by  local artist Rebecca Knowles, fashion, crystals, leatherwork,  handbags,  and so much more.

Kim picked up a drink cooler and wallet from Rebecca Jane Knowles stall. She sells funky artworks on usable items such as place mats, coasters, stubby and wine coolers, greeting cards, post cards and more. Many of the images are carnival-like, with stylised animals and puffy white clouds and breaching whales. When you look at them you can't help but feel happy, and realise this talented artist has captured something very special about the region.

Back to the Resort for a light lunch and chill by the pool again.

For dinner the great staff at Enzo’s On The Beach set us up with a table to accommodate us and our pup.  We love this place and simply cannot get enough. From the stunning views, the palm trees, relaxed bean bag and pallet chairs to the formal cafe area. The atmosphere is lazy and chilled with perfect tunes playing in the background to enhance the vibe. The food is sensational, shoestring fries, chicken wings, nachos, calamari... all outstanding.

We sat back with a cold Beer and a Midori and Orange Highball enjoying the light breeze and warm yet gentle autumn sun making us feel very “at home”. Their beautiful bar specialises in high quality drinks and cocktails, premium wines and craft beers. Guests can enjoy drinks while overlooking the gleaming waters of Scarness beach, watching the famous Hervey Bay sunsets. Kim picked the seafood fiesta for 2, complete with a serving of, natural oysters, Kuro crumbed prawns, half shell Hervey Bay scallops, Thai fish cakes,  battered flathead, 4 Za’atar spiced calamari, smoked salmon, New Zealand cod, plus extra flathead for Shari (pup). The location is amazing, the table service and food sensational.

The next morning breakfast by the beach doesn’t get any ‘beachier’ than at Aquavue, in the palm-studded suburb of Torquay. This place was so nice finish to the long weekend before we headed back to Brissy.  We ordered the runny eggs and crispy bacon to fill up for the drive. The coffee was amazing and we sat on the deck looking out over the ocean. Will definitely drop in again when we drop in again. Service was quick and you were greeted with a smile.

While heading home, while leaving Gympie we went the Old Bruce Highway and stumbled upon Hell Town Hotrods, south of Gympie, with a ‘rod on a hot tin roof’! It wasn’t hard to miss: a schmick lime-green ’32 Ford sitting all a-glimmer on a roof. So we pulled over and have a quick peek. The place also has a diner and shop filled with cool motoring memorabilia. Outside is an old-style garage complete with huge Caltex star, Mobil Pegasus logo, vintage petrol bowsers and an array of cool rods and mean barn-finds. The diner is an Aladdin’s cave of cool stuff. There is a 2.6m-tall metal statue of comic-book character Hellboy, all made from motorbike chains, pistons, gears, sprockets, uni joints and the like. You don’t want to bump into this jigger on a dark night! The walls of the shop are covered with old advertising hoardings, including some repro Mobil signs. Amongst the collectable motorbikes, old toys and restored petrol bowsers are racks of hot rod-styled T-shirts and motoring gear. Just up a little further up the road was the winking Matilda.