There’s a little quiet beach some distance away from the commercial hub of Airlie Beach in North Queensland that makes you want to sing. The foreshore fringes the beach with deep shady old trees for a kilometre or so. Randomly placed wooden picnic tables hide in the dark, looking almost organic. Although the public facilities are generous, the area isn’t overly manicured or regimented. Cars park randomly,most still attached to a boat trailer. A few stainless steel BBQs hide under cover, inviting the traveller to cook up a few prawns or slabs of coral reef fish.
The town consists of two or three streets of local holiday houses, a friendly country pub whose front area blends with the treed foreshore, and a small breakfast shop attached to the rear of the pub.
We visited Dingo Beach on a few occasions, parking our Hobbit van in the shade, our only company a cheeky parrot who came to inspect the salad and then leaving in disgust.
What is missing is a camping ground, a blessing in disguise. Accommodation is limited to three apartments next to the pub and a few rental beach houses. Consequently the town isn’t dominated by the ‘grey nomad’ traveller, retaining a wonderful local ambience and diversity. And the song that came to mind?
Dingo Beach
Far away in time
Dingo Beach
Far away in time
Lyrics adapted from Echo Beach, Martha and the Muffins, 1983. Another song plant, to be considered by Mr Tranquillo and his guitar playing mate, Chris.
ALMOST ITALIAN 
What a great spot…good idea to keep it away from the grey nomads.
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Yes, I try to, despite my years, I prefer a different style of camping.
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Looks idyllic Francesca!! We’ve sailed out of Airlie Beach on a couple of occasions, such a relief to get on the water to explore the Whitsunday Isles, and a great way to avoid the GN types, more a mind set than a demographic I’m sure you’ll agree. Bravo for enduring the Hobbit camper too!
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The Hobbit camper has its pros and cons. The best part is that we can camp in unpowered sites and thus get away from the regimented GN folk. The unpowered sites, we have found, allow us to escape white van and concrete patch world. We only use a little light and then have enough power in the laptop to watch one DVD in bed. The down side is that it is cramped and starting to drive me ( and my back) crazy. We take a cabin on occasion.
We both love your line ‘ ‘more of a mind set than a demographic’. Can I steal this line from you for a post? I am grappling with one on the camps of the east coast- at present, my running title is ‘ Borgens v Bogans’.
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We’ve done the round Australia thing in a (white) caravan. We found the best way to find unregimented camp spots was the go to the pub and talk to the locals over a few beers. They were usually happy to talk about fishing spots in the vicinity which invariably included space enough to camp. The only reason to use a caravan park IMHO is to do the washing, have a long hot shower and the fill water tanks. There are dump points aplenty in small towns. I could whinge for hours about the regimentation of caravan parks and the type of people they attract. Conversely I could tell a good yarn or two about the characters we’ve encountered freedom camping. We’ve recently sold our off road van so our camping days are over! Love your post title, feel free to use my line. I’d be flattered….
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Francesca how exquisite the beach and surroundings are, and, how I wish to be there.
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That beach was so good Heather, the rest down the coast are lovely too, but not quite as remote.
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Dingo Beach is exactly what I need to look at and think about on a chilly, rainy winter Sydney day. Imagining now that it is just as you photographed and enjoyed it, and the hope that I one day will as well generates a soothing warmth in my being 🙂
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I know you will when you get to Taylors Lakes again. Dingo was perfect- a little daggy and very country.
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Daggy and country… that’s so me!
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This looks like absolute paradise! So gorgeous and tranquil.
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I hope I haven’t given the secret away!
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Oh those prawns!!! x
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They were tiger prawns, fresh off the trawler- no freezing at all. Nice with a salad.
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What no bingo in the camp kitchen at 7.00? No Hokey Pokey? Sounds heavenly. We are known as the anti social campers cause we always request the spot furthest away from people and facilities. Thanks, now I’ve got Echo Beach stuck in my head, could be worse, could be Chad Morgan or similar. I could really do with a spot like that at the moment. Enjoy 🙂
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These spots are rare. We get lucky on occasion with the camping- National Parks are always a little safer. I am at my wits end at the moment as we had no choice but to accept a spot in a ‘white van’ caravan park where the beach view is blocked out by donga apartments and I feel like I am trapped in some concrete jungle for the elderly. It gets worse as we head south.
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What a wonderful time it looks like you had! I wouldn’t mind spending a day in paradise-prawns and beaches and cheeky parrots in all!
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It was a lovely spot Mary.
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magic photos Francesca. Dingo beach .. what a great name. And the weather looks fab. Has been a bit damp and chilly in Melbourne 😀
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Your stay in Melbourne would have been a test- I heard that the weather has been really cold and challenging. Hope you have access to big fires, hot soup, red wine and good coffee.
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I did indeed! 😃
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