House packed. Cleaned. And we are GONNEEEE.
Furniture picked up by Kirsty and Ben, final sweep done, and the journey officially begins — Friday 6 June 2026. Still slightly daunting. Lauren from Ray White did the inspection and we passed the bond clean with flying colours. Honestly, the house has never looked cleaner. Jason and Tailah were the successful tenants and had already started moving their gear in over the last two days.
Bye‑bye Brisso.
Tweed Heads – Day One Chaos
First stop: Southern Tweed Heads campground so we could check out the new house Kirsty and Ben bought. Strange day — three out of five Millers moving house on the same day.
With a few hours to kill before the 4pm inspection, we ducked over to Fingal North Beach. This place is magic — still so quiet despite being wedged between Cooly and Kingscliff. The beach walk was exactly what we needed, added 3 photos, and can you find the sun relection?
Ten minutes before leaving the campground, we had a quick chat with our neighbour (very interesting local). Then… where are the keys? Cue 20 minutes of frantic searching. Day one and we’ve already lost a set of car keys. Grabbed the spare, went to put them in the ignition… and couldn’t. Because someone had already put the original keys in. OMG. You have to laugh.
We drove to the new house and met Ben’s parents, Peta and Jonny, who had put on a lovely cheese board. The house sits on a hill with views south over the Tweed River, the ocean, and all the way to Mt Warning. Not a bad first home, kids. Beautiful sunset, beautiful company.
Evans Head – Family & Longboards
Next morning we hit the road for Evans Head to see Shell’s mum and catch the local Longboard Club comp. Great to see everyone. We stayed until Tuesday because Monday was a public holiday.
Girraween National Park – 40 Years Later
Tuesday morning: up early and off to Girraween. Quick coffee stop at Little Stray Winds in Woodburn — cya Matt, already missing your coffee.
It’s been over 40 years since Shell and I were last at Girraween, back when we were still courting. The facilities have changed — the old campground is now a day-use area — but QLD Parks have done a brilliant job.
First afternoon was a gentle wander along the creek, trying to stir up old memories. Hard not to, with the Pyramid and Castle Rock towering above everything.
Castle Rock, Sphinx & Turtle Rock
Next day we tackled Castle Rock, the Sphinx and Turtle Rock. Not a huge walk but it took us about five hours. Light drizzle made the rocks slippery, so we didn’t push to the top of Castle Rock. Running shoes with carbon plates and Keen sandals are not ideal for granite slabs. Turtle Rock was a highlight — and one spot nearly sent me sliding off the mountain.
Back for lunch, then out to The Junction in the afternoon.
This place blew our minds. Could’ve explored all arvo but needed to get back for a shower before it got too cold.
Girraween showers are BYO — bucket + pump + shower head. Best solution: joint showers. Saves water.
The Pyramid – Take Two
Next morning was The Pyramid.
Slight drizzle but allowed some fun photos.
Last time we didn’t make it to the top. We thought we might this time… until 5–10mm of rain overnight. We got about three‑quarters of the way up before the slipping started again. Shell got further than she did 40 years ago. A young woman was another 100 metres ahead, so off I went. Reached her, slipping the whole way.
She said her partner had gone to the top and was on his way down. Two guys appeared — one super confident (talking to himself as he traversed the rock), the other not so much. The confident one was John — an experienced climber who’d been airlifted out of the Warrumbungles six weeks earlier after being hit by a falling rock. Wild story. Even wilder that he’d helped the other guy to the top — a couple who’d seen the climb on Instagram and left the Gold Coast at 3:30am to do it. Young people.
John warned us about a wet one‑metre section where if you slip… you’re gone. So I called it. I got further than 40 years ago — maybe 98% of the way — and I’m totally OK with that. The view was incredible. And these three people were exactly the kind of humans I want to meet on this adventure — people living life.
Back to camp, another wander, another shower. Loving life.
Underground Creek – Mind Blown
We kept hearing about Underground Creek. I’d never heard of it, but an old mate Craig said we had to go. So next day we drove 30 minutes to the trailhead. Passed a 4WD that had pulled over to photograph kangaroos. Let them go ahead — looked like they were heading to the same place.
Pulled up, said hello, and met our next amazing human — Tammy. She was visiting to help tag quolls the next day as part of a conservation project. We ended up walking together and she became our personal guide — pointing out wildlife, plants, history.
Underground Creek absolutely blew my mind. Very dry, so not much water running, but the place is unreal. I’ll let the photos tell the story when I add them. If you look closely, you might spot me in the overhead shot.
If you zoom in – you might find me going – WOW.
BEST day. Thank you, Tammy.
This place is a must. Just don’t go in peak season — it’s already over‑loved. 10 out of 10 from us. Stayed for 4 nights and woke up for the next morning for our next adventure south. We did our good deed for the day when leaving as the wind had picked up and a fellow camper’s Gazebo started lifting in the wind, pulled over and dismantled as much as possible – hope they appreciated.
