Cotton Tree Capers

Back up the coast to Cotton Tree - again on the water - beautiful, crystal clear with plenty of room to sit and ponder the sunset with a glass of chardonnay in the hand.

Fitted in some quiet time, reading, fishing and coffee ing if that is a word - our walks are continuing thank goodness or we would both explode. Starting to look homeward with friends, family and verandah meets on our mind. Tomorrow we head to Bribie Island for one night and then home to the shire. It's lovely to go away but also good to be heading homeward.

Heading to Maroochydore and onto Caloundra

Heading down the coast to Maroochydore, just one night because we are going to catch up with Kate for a couple of nights in Caloundra.

The usual beautiful beaches, a walk, coffee and book into the van park right in the centre of town. Another walk up to the point to see the boats and an early night. Except for the night club down the road and the little sh*¥#t that walked home at 3.30am kicking a can. So I would recommend Maroochydore except on Thursday night!

Further to Caloundra and met the girl for a stay in a real unit (care of airbnb) for a couple of days - we discovered a Friday night special - oysters and panko prawns for $1 - so boutique beers and oysters for tea - definately upmarket to our usual fare. Found a great Japanese restaurant for lunch and converted Ross to Agadashi Tofu and Eggplant with sweet miso - yum yum yum.

Again walks, at trip to Maleny and Montville, more walks, a near miss at Buderim made us pleased Kate did a defensive driving course and another coffee find - Lamkin Lane. Street markets on Sunday morning and we ran into Ross hero Juzzie Smith a performer and parent from Ocean Shores - bit of blues and roots, and again lots of yummy food. It was lovely to catch up and just spend time talking and watching bad girlie movies together much to Ross disgust.

Eumundi Markets

Of to Eumundi Markets - Bangalow on Steroids - if this is weekday markets I would hate to be here on weekends - not a lot of fruit and vegetables though. It took a couple of hours just browsing, finally visited the food area and it was great, good music too.

Just as we were leaving Ross found a funny little stall of maps. No they didn't get Norfolk maps but if they did it would look like this, hey wait a minute that is a Norfolk Map - 186o map from a Scottish atlas - very interesting and it is with a map of NSW so everywhere we have taught is on the one map. Fascinating looking at the world from long ago - Australia split into regions and marked with explorers and how far they have travelled. Another picture to add to our collection.

On to the ginger factory and bought the kids some ginger teddies as requested - they'll get them if we don't raid them before we get home!

Home to the caravan park and then into Noosa for a fish - let's fish here says Ross - maybe not - a bloody huge carpet snake sunning itself on the rocks. So we moved a little further down. Watched a new boat owner run his craft aground and get of again, talked to the guys next to us - but didn't catch anything. Another day on the road.

Hervey to Noosa

Hervey to Noosa via Gympie, a nice little town with a lovely park for lunch, lucky we had the van because it was Sunday and everything was shut. Did the heritage drive and had a good look around. The Gympie Muster is on in the next week or so - oh no Juzzie Smith is playing - Ross wanted to stay!

On to Maryborough, the town of many queen slants. Again the Heritage drive showed us some great examples - boy they must have maintenance bills from hell.

Into Noosa and we are staying at Tewantin - out of the hustle and bustle. Drove into town along the foreshore and into Hastings Street. Byron on steroids is probably a fair description. Walked along the break wall and checked out some fishing spots for later in the week. Home for tea, happily exhausted. Ross went to empty the rubbish and came in ranting that I had to meet our neighbours, grumbling away I wandered over and you'd never believe it - it really was our neighbours from South Golden, Mary and John - right next to us in a park of about 100 sites.

Again into Noosa shopped up a storm, filling up the pantry with fruit and veg and into town to walk from Hastings street to the National Park where we ate lunch and fed the bush turkeys and planned our walk for tomorrow.

Back to Hastings Street for a stroll to look at the overpriced goods and the beautiful people all walking around to be seen. Ross found some great shoes on sale that he had looked at ages ago. Found a very cool coffee shop and then another walk back to the van and home for a well earned rest.

Washing and walking today - we walked the Coastal track through the National Park - probably only about 6 k but it was lovely and the knee held up really well. We saw two large Lace Monitors, a couple of sting rays, a koala, some dolphins and our old friends the bush turkeys. A late lunch and then back to Hastings street, Ross bought more shoes, had a coffee at Harlem, picked up some sox on the way home for a quick rest, get the washing in and then a quick fish. We stopped and the fishing went west. Too pooped to pop! Maybe tomorrow

It 's a whale, it's a whale

Left Bundaberg and headed to Hervey Bay via Childers. A town with a great feel, bustling and happy people, great cafe and coffee, brilliant art gallery and the Childers Backpacker Memorial was really interesting.

Flew into Hervey Bay and booked in quickly to the Fraser Lodge Park - we've been lucky - another great park, ensuite and looking onto cabins and a grassed area with Pukakas running around. But I digress, we lathered up the sun cream and headed for the wharf. A whale watch tour with Whalesong.  Great day - sunny and a breeze, they gave us lunch but both Ross and I ate sparingly. Numerous cups of tea to help with the travacalm tablet dryness and we were fine. Some looked a bit pale after a big lunch but no one was sick. The Whales were brilliant, as soon as we stopped to idle they would swim over for a look, going all around the boat and lifting their heads to get a look, rolling over and gently lifting tails and pectoral fins up. We saw probably 10 all up over 3 stops and they came within 3 metres of the boat. Great day and good for the soul.

Wandered Harvey Bay, not a lot to see, headed to the Art Gallery, they have a great whale sculpture, did the grocery shopping and called into an ordinary coffee shop that had good write ups - they lied. Home for a very late lunch and  a read.

Up early to head out and found another little cafe on the way out - Bean Beat - stand up only, great atmosphere, great coffee. Made our morning. Walking back to the van and we came across Mr Whippi stocking up his Icecream Van - great vintage van and brought back memories of our childhood.

Breezy Bundy

Left 1770 with heavy hearts, what a great stay - loved it. Headed down the coast to Bundaburg and straight to the Information centre to collect pamphlets and city maps and other info - the biggest waste of paper ever - the person who puts it all onto an app or electronic will save tonnes of paper every year. The Gray Nomads strike again.

Headed out towards Bargara a seaside Byron type settlement - why anyone would live in Bundaburg when this little town with beautiful beaches, parks and town centre is 12k away is beyond me. Stopped at Grunskes by the river - a seafood processor, retail, restaurant style of place - freezing but amazing - they definately do seafood well here. Picked up some fish, prawns and some grain fed beef butt fillet for tomorrow nights tea.

Had the prawns for lunch at Kelly's Beach on white bread with lemon , salt and pepper. Yum.

Headed back around the ring road that circles the whole town and makes movement so much easier, to the Glenlodge Caravan Park - the overwhelmingly welcoming proprietor - yes they have scones, jam and cream for morning tea tomorrow - gold coin donation goes to charity and I'll pop over and check on you, all ok, great.

The next day was Bundaberg Gingerbeer Barrell, the Bundaberg Rum Factory (pity neither of us drink the stuff) and then over to the Botanic Grdens for lunch - big chicken and salad sangers - thought we would sit quietly by the lagoon - sh$&*t we were invaded by ducks, moor hens and turtles - about 20 of them squirming out of the lagoon to get to the bread Ross threw them, even 2 huge eels about a metre long and thick as your forearm. Lucky we had some stale bread because they were eyeing us both off if the bread supply failed.

Walked to Burt Hinklers House for a look, bypassed the museum, Ross wasn't fussed and home for a read and catch up on our emails. Stopped for a walk down the Main Street and bought some pineapple lumps for Kate - oops all gone.

1770

Headed out fairly early so we could make it to 1770 via Boyne Island to check out a friends investment property. Boyne Island and Tannum Sands are the go ahead area of gladstone and Weiry has a property being built there. We quite enjoyed checking out the house which is up to lock up. Ross chatted to the painters and we took some photos to send of. Very pretty beachy area with new developments going in.

Made it to 1770 via Agnes Water and pulled into our site, a quick walk and then went down to the beach with a wine to watch the sun set.

Next day we upgraded to a waterfront site - a whole $5 extra. Check it out.

Met the neighbours, nice people from Melbourne, did some washing, walked to the pub for lunch - great value mains but hugely exorbitant desserts and coffee - we stuck to mains - salt n pepper squid with home made chips and aioli, fish tacos - yum! Great walk and great view while we ate lunch. Wandered back to the van, a bit of a read and then hit the fishing - fun but fruitless - oh well the view was magnificent. No TV so Ross is a bit worried - lucky we had a drink and chat with the neighbours and then eggs on toast for tea.

Following day - some drives, walks out to some great views and then into Agnes Waters - the more commercial town near by - had a walk around the town and the caravan park to check out the beach and opposition - we win - too many cabins blocking the views at Agnes Water. Great pies though.

Home for a read, another walk to the pub for coffee and a scone - ruby take note - the were super yummy, made with dates, sultanas and apricots - big chunks - hot and dripping with butter - lucky we had to walk to get them.

Another fish - caught some but none big enough to take home, fed the seagulls and then home for another drink and chat with the neighbours and watch the sun set before tea and bed. Exhausted.

Rockhampton reruns

Left Kinka Beach heading for Rockhampton, haven't been here for close to 15 years. Tootled along the Emu Park road and had a quick stop to visit the singing ship, a sculpture that sings when the wind blows. A beautiful little town all looking freshly painted and neat and tidy. So many shells and coral and driftwood on the beach I could have crafty projects for years. The art gallery has some great stuff and I bought a hat to cover the back of my neck - all this sunshine is getting me tanned too quickly and I need to save the wrinkles.

Rocky big 4 is where we stayed with the kids on a trek to Cairnes in the 90's and it was still a great park. Backs onto a private schools oval so after 3 it's quiet and green. Except for the Friday night blue light disco - heavy metal doof - I forgot Ross wasn't used to school socials with this sort of music. Now he knows what I've had at RRHS.

Next day we wandered through the local botanical gardens and the zoo - brilliant, small and free. The cages have great gardens, the animals were active and all seemed happy and friendly. The wombats were out and about, the koala was walking along logs chasing gum tips and the monkeys were watching the funny humans. Lots of little kids having fun.

Headed to a local coffee shop Stella Rossa - very industrial and based in the Harley Davidson shop - very cool and great coffee too. Found a great poster for Mick up on the wall - bit of a chuckle.

Embarked on a historical walk through the city centre and along the river - actually quite interesting lots of buildings and history of colonial Australia in a short space. Lovely river walk and people walking, picnicking and fishing. Quite a bustling metropolis. The Art Gallery had 3 exhibitions. - Jimmy Pike (aboriginal textile artist) the Murri Girls (local aboriginal textile artists) and a guy who used piano keys and dismantled pianos to create his works - really interesting stuff.

A bit of shopping, had to buy a hat for Ross and shorts because its so damn warm up here. Who said it is still winter?

Kinka Beach

Still crispy nights and beautiful days. We woke to another and other than the slight smell of smoke from the people next doors outside fire the day was beautiful and we were ready to fire - a bit late today as we had to potter around a bit. But we finally headed to Rosslyn Bay and a spectacular anchorage, hundreds of millions of $ worth of boats - Graham (a boat builder) would have been in seventh heaven.

We raided the co-op bought some pickled octopus, prawns, oysters and a large fillet of sweet lip or red emperor - the fish we used to catch on Norfolk by the hundreds - $50 a kilo - Boonie would be turning in his grave. Mind you when we cooked it up that evening it was nothing short of spectacular.

Wandered to Yeppoon and had a look around the place - prawn sandwiches for lunch overlooking Great Keppel and a myriad of small islands. Back to the marina for a very ordinary coffee so that Ross could take some pictures of boats for his brother and home to a different site so we could escape the fire hoons.

Washing afternoon - toni did the clothes, Ross the van and then walked around the lake edge and saw a beaut sunset as well as a huge lace monitor wander around camp to stir up all the dogs and then wander into the bush.

 Another lovely day on the Capricorn Coast.

Guns and Police Raids

Finally heading towards the coast and warming up - not so much the days which have been brilliant around 24 but it even made it up to 28 today - almost hot and sweaty weather. Stopped at Biloela for coffee, again heaps of young miners around and a vibrant little town and on to Mount Morgan which boasts the Dee River - the most polluted in Queensland thanks to a mine overflow in the flood this year - it'll be ok says the information centre guy - it is white and looks like you could walk on it - thats what heavy metals and acids to for a river - even looking at it hurts - I don't know how it will possibly be ok.

Anyhow we had lunch in a local park, not overlooking the river and did a quick drive around after. We found a suspension bridge that even Toni could walk across. Found the local community gardens - James you would be impressed. 

Saw the old railway station and found a lookout to see the mine - it's quite big.

That evening as we watched TV we saw a a story on Mt Morgan - while we had been there, there was a police raid and they discovered one of the largest gun caches in Queensland in Mt Morgan including semi-automatics - well that was exciting - didn't even see a thing.

So we blithely continued into Rocky and straight onto Yeppoon and then Kinka Beach Park - humongous on 150 acres, something like 100 cabins and villas, a conference centre and big heated pool. Huge sites with heaps of trees and well set up for the night. Back to the warmth of the coast.