Seaforth & Haliday Bay area

Just a short 50 km drive north of Mackay is a beautiful piece of paradise.

We arrived at Seaforth and went to what we thought was the only corner store come petrol station and went inside to ask about the camping ground/council run caravan park we had been told about and she was so friendly and helpful that she pointed out the one (within seeing distance from her shop!) and also pointed out the National Park and once we said we had been camping the night before and needed power she also mentioned the caravan park at Haliday Bay which was only 6 kms away but was not on our map so she told us how to get there and rang the caravan park to see if there was any vacancies and we were off.

We thought it was too good to be true….$25/night for all 4 of us…well that was a bargain surely there was some sort of catch. Well we pulled up and while it did seem busy it was archaic…. I have said about the other caravan parks we have stumbled upon that were like a step back in time but this was more than that. It was more a nonexistent caravan park and more like staying in my uncle’s back yard (it was originally owned by a cane farmer the whole huge amount of land that not only the caravan park was now on). Now, having said that, the redeeming feature of this place is it was about 30 metres to your own little bay like oasis. It would have been a beautiful park to go with the beautiful spot a few years back, maybe back in the 80’s or with some real upkeep. It offers more of the camping experience than the caravan park experience, but you know what it did get a real influx of visitors coming and going and the manager said it is packed in the summer months and going off the trade they took that we saw I would, crazy I know, but I would tend to believe him.

Haliday Bay Hideaway Caravan Park. It is in a perfect spot yet the bathrooms are old run down donger’s for the bathroom and are from the 1980’s and not at all maintained (although they did place new shower screens in the ladies bathroom while we stayed there)and that  as far as a caravan park goes was it. They do have electricity and some basic cabins. One redeeming feature is the manager who is a lovely guy. The park itself is actually up for sale so if you have a spare few million you could purchase your own spot of paradise which includes the caravan park and about 58 acres and your own bay….. a bargain if you ask me.

Seaforth seems to have a lot for sale…. the 2 corner stores (each with a petrol pump) are for sale and there a lot of houses too but don’t let that put you off it is a stunning spot. We saw dolphins and green turtles and it is relaxing and picturesque. Besides the 2 corner stores there is a post office, community hall, bowling club (which does not serve Sunday roast can you believe and really it is restaurant prices considering it is a bowling club), an ambulance depot and the council run camping ground. The camping ground is $18/night and the showers cost 20c for the hot water to start. There is no laundry at all in Seaforth and very limited reception for TV, mobiles or even internet for some carriers. Additionally, stock up on all the things you need for the duration of your stay as while the corner stores are very handy and do offer takeaway the prices of the grocery items are a little overpriced….for example for a 500g tub of Meadow Lea here was $4.85.

There was a bottle of vinegar at one of the tabled areas just off the beach at Haliday Bay for the purposes of putting onto the stings should you get one and there was a netted section in Seaforth for safe swimming. There was a warning sign in Seaforth about the dangers of being stung by the Jelly fish from October to April and what to do if you were stung.
It really is a very nice little place but I must admit it would drive me a bit batty after a while (and I was craving a bigger place with a few more amenities and some reception) as it a bit remote for my liking.

There are some palcess like the Haliday Bay Resort which may or may not have been a nice resort in previous years that is seems to be forgotten a little. There is no signage except for the one in the picture written on cardboard. They do have a website and we went in to inquire about it after we stumbled upon it and they did give us a brochure, but we were told if we wanted dinner we would have to book as they didn’t have sufficient numbers to justify employing staff full time. That’s completely understandable and great that they were upfront about it. The rates were a little pricey for the accommodation in my mind but being so close to Mackay perhaps they can command that.

Funniest thing ever about the place is that no one seems sure just how to spell it. At first we thought it may have been  case of a misspell with the sign but then as we took more notice it really became more obvious. Some of the spelling is with one L as in Haliday Bay and other times it is spelt with two L’s as in Halliday Bay which sums up the laid backness of this place I think.