Over the last couple of years there has been a big change here in the landscape.

There used to be a sea way at the northern end of the Pumicestone Channel beside the Caloundra CBD area and Deepwater Point. It has now closed up with a huge sand bar that is building sand dunes and vegetation, a new beach is forming on the seaward side. Bribie Island may cease being an island! All the maps and postcards haven’t caught up with developments, it doesn’t look as pretty as it used to I suppose!

You get a good look at this on the walk south around the Point and through Happy Valley to Bulcock Beach. It is about a leisurely hour there and back from Kings Beach to get some fresh prawns for lunch beside the pool at the Golden Leaf.

Going the other way, north, the boardwalk takes you around the headland to Shelly Beach. On this section there are some great views out over the ocean.

The cargo vessels and cruise ships come close inshore. Some of the cruise boats pull into Mooloolaba for the day on the way north. Australia Zoo and the Glass House Mountains the big attraction, as well as prawns!

Along this section of the walk there is a long stretch of ANZAC and Defence history memorabilia. It was about 100km offshore here and east of Moreton Island that the hospital ship Centaur was sunk in 1943 by a Japanese submarine torpedo. 268 lives were lost, 64 survivors were later found adrift, the wreck was discovered in 2009.

Caloundra was the point where the military and politicians drew the Brisbane Line across the country in WWII. It was the imaginary line marking where the country would make a ‘last stand’ in the event of a Japanese invasion. ‘Give up the north and save the south’ in other words. It never came to that!

Our time at Caloundra has come to an end and we headed back to Brisbane via a stop at the Glass House Mountains for a light lunch, burger (without pineapple of course) and chips at the Lookout Cafe. Some great views of the mountains at the lookout.

Now, in a day or so, another Festival of sorts the ‘Let’s Go Queensland Caravan and Camping Supershow’ at the Brisbane Showgrounds. Interesting!

What a surprise. Totally unplanned, but we have arrived for the last two days of the 2026 Bowden’s Downunder Beachfest.

It is all to do with vintage and souped up motor cars from last century. Doesn’t seem to have anything to do with beaches. A few of the cars did have roof racks with surfboards on display.

There must have been 100+ cars and trucks lined up along both sides of Caloundra’s main street, Bulcock St. Hundreds of people wandering around having a look.

Most of the vehicles were familiar, from 50s through 80s, very well looked after by proud ageing rev heads!

There were also a large number of old cars and motor bikes cruising around Caloundra streets with throbbing engines entertaining residents.

Interesting times!

The cars had mostly all gone by the following Monday morning and the town could recover from the excitement and get back into its slow winter rhythm.

We are staying in the Golden Leaf apartment complex which is a block back from Kings Beach and the board walk that runs north and south along the waterfront. The complex is fairly basic but clean and comfortable. Nice spot for a week.

There is a steady procession of cargo ships coming close inshore off Kings Beach as they move into and out of the Port of Brisbane. Cruise ships also and cruisers get a good view of the Glass House Mountains as they pass-by.

And of course we have to have some Fish ‘n Chips for lunch in a Boardwalk cafe overlooking the beach on a clear sunny day!

It is a bit over two weeks since we have returned from the short trip south to Glen Innes for the Celtic Festival and then home via Grafton. A lot can happen in two weeks and it seems that we are getting into the festival spirit.

The Paniyiri Greek Festival in Brisbane is something Allthego has had a hankering to go to over the years but has never got around to it.

So why not go for it and just do it, particularly when 2026 is its 50th anniversary too! Paniyiri, derived from an older Greek word, means ‘gathering of people’ or ‘festival’ for short. It is the largest Greek festival in Australia and has been going the longest.

It was held in Musgrave Park opposite the Greek Club in South Brisbane over the weekend of 23-24 May. We went on the Saturday for lunch and a bit of the afternoon entertainment.

Streets are blocked off and fences are erected all around the venue, we got in as old people for $5.

Lots of people. Luckily, we managed to get seats to look at the action and eat some of the plentiful Greek food offerings in relative comfort.

The entertainment was special. How many Honey Puffs contestants could gobble up from bowls, just using tongues and mouths. Plate smashing. Greek folk dancing including Zorba. We missed the grape stomping.

There were a few commentators for the events. The standout though was Effie from the 90s, I think, TV show Acropolis Now. Looking a bit older, but still doing the club scene.

Managed to escape late in the afternoon before eating too much calamari and souvlaki. Avoided the Honey Puffs, many around us ate our share! Interesting afternoon.

Over the course of 50 years it is not surprising that you eat the same meal(s) several times. In fact there are some 18,200 + or so evening meal times in 50 years!

This is one of the meals that has featured for us many times, the meat pie.

And another, not so frequent in recent years, is the meat loaf.

We have enjoyed both over the last couple of weeks. Grilled snags with onion gravy also feature from time to time.

It has also been the end of an era for us as after nearly ten years the sturdy old caravan has been carted off to the caravan graveyard. It has seen much gravel and red dirt in its time.

Written off by the insurance company due to hail damage in the storms before Christmas. Will we replace?

We are now off to Caloundra for a week to contemplate the way forward. Sunny winter days by the seaside are always special. Quieter and comparatively deserted compared to summertime. On the way back to Brisbane the annual Caravan and Camping Show beckons with many options to consider. Only time will tell.