Townsville to Tully and Mission Beach

It’s now Sunday 3^rd July and I’m writing this from Cairns. There’s so much to report since my last blog so this one’s going to be a long one. My last entry was from Kinka Beach near Rocky.

From Rockhampton I travelled a few kilometres north to see the Capricorn Caves. These ancient caves are a labyrinth of caves within a limestone ridge. The Cathedral Cave is awesome with its near perfect acoustics and we were even treated to a song by one of the other travellers.   

There was not a lot to see on the way up to Mackay and I didn’t even stay long in Mackay, as I was keen to go out to Eungella National Park. I must say the views from the top of the range were incredible. Talk about a room with a view! There were some nice walks through the forest which I managed to fit in before setting up camp for the night. (I’m certainly getting my exercise these days!) Next morning I was up early to see the platypus feeding at a little spot nearby called Broken River. I’m not sure whether I saw 3 different ones or whether it was the same platypus bobbing up in different places. My goodness it was cold getting up at dawn, but well worth the effort. The area going out to Eungella is also noted for sugar cane and for the fact that Dame Nellie Melba lived here for a few years when she was first married. The photos show the house she lived in before moving to Melbourne to pursue her singing career.

Proserpine is a charming, typical Australian country town and the surrounding region is one of Queensland’s most prolific fruit and vegetable growing regions. It’s also a major producer of beef and seafood.  Airlie Beach is vibrant and alive and is certainly a favourite with the younger folk, who seem to spend their days lounging by the beautiful swimming lagoon which is set in parkland overlooking the islands. Walking down the streets reminded me of Noosa – very trendy shops and boutiques and souvenir stores.

I commenced my tour of Bowen with a visit to the beaches at Queens Beach, Queens Bay, Grays Bay, Horseshoe Bay, Rose Bay, Kings Beach, and up to Flagstaff Hill. It was certainly worth the drive up, as the views were spectacular from the Interpretive Centre.

I made some lunch and then sat at a park bench at Front Beach, a foreshore precinct which has been transformed into a recreational area and includes barbecues, outdoor amphitheatre, children’s playground area, skate park and walking and bicycle tracks. The Soundshell and festival space are used for celebrations and concerts.

Then I took a walk around the town past many murals which adorn the walls of many buildings and which are reminders of the rich history of the town.

Bowen has a good range of pubs but the one featured in the movie “Australia” with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, was apparently specially built for the film.

Next major place was Townsville where I spent a few days and caught up with a couple more friends. Again the council has done a wonderful job along the beach front to capitalise on the beautiful water views. The Strand stretches for 2.5 km and offers views across Cleveland Bay to Magnetic Island. It boasts manicured lawn areas, water playgrounds, shady trees, restaurants and cafes. The Rock Pool draws its water supply from the ocean.  It certainly makes you appreciate the weather and the views as you see the sun glistening across the water.  An absolute ‘must see’ is the Reef HQ which is the world’s largest living coral reef aquarium and which offers a range of exhibits, talks and tours. It now has a Turtle Hospital where you can actually see live turtles in rehabilitation.

Magnetic Island is just 8 km off the coast and the quick ferry ride only took 20 minutes. The public bus service was the best way for me to get around the island and gave me the opportunity to do some more walking. I really do believe that you need to do an overnight stay to really do justice to the many walks though, as there’s something like 25 kms of tracks to try.

On my way up to Cairns I travelled through the towns of Ingham, Cardwell and Tully (also out to Mission Beach), all of which sustained a heck of a lot of damage from Cyclone Yasi. They’ve done an incredible amount of work restoring roads and rebuilding places and, when you talk to the locals, they certainly have some interesting tales to tell and realise how lucky they were to come through it.     

I’m going to leave my description of Paronella Park, Babinda and The Boulders and Innisfail to my next blog. Cheers for now.

PS forgot to add the pictures from the art gallery I visited in Emerald.

Emerald to Kinka Beach

The last few days have been very busy. Just before leaving Emerald I happened to visit an art gallery displaying the paintings of John Morrison.  He features the life of Harry Readford, better known for cattle duffing  in the 1800s. Hope you like some of the paintings. Unfortunately, my photography doesn't do justice to this very fine artist.

Travelling east to Rockhampton, I called in to Blackwater which is a very big area for coal mining. I was able to join a tour of the Curragh Mine. Too many details to remember, though.

I found Rockhampton to be a very interesting place and stayed in a caravan park right on the river's edge. Mind you, I kept a wary eye on the river banks after reading the signs warning of crocodiles in the area. Thankfully, the banks are quite high. The Botanical Gardens are really worth a visit with a huge variety of plants and also birdlife on the lake. I was a little too late to see the zoo but heard the dingoes from afar.

Today I went driving up Mt Archer and ended up doing a couple of the bushwalks. Despite the cold morning I soon warmed up. Seems everyone is experiencing  cool temperatures these last few mornings. Emu Park is a pretty little town with magnificent views of the Keppel Islands. The Singing Ship is a monument to Captain Cook.

Rosslyn Bay is home to Keppel Bay Marina, the largest marina in Northern Queensland. One can only marvel at the luxurious boats moored in the 400 floating marina berths. Before I leave I must be sure to stop off at the Fisherman's Co-op and sample some locally caught seafood.

The caravan park at nearby Kinka Beach is very busy and there was quite a crowd at the Bush Poet session, which was held around a camp fire in the park this evening. He certainly kept everyone amused along with the guitar player too. Can anyone recognise Chad Morgan in the photos?

Saturday and the weather continues to be cold and wet. Despite this I met up with another friend and we went driving into Yeppoon to visit yet another lovely little art gallery with many local artists' work featured. From there it was on towards Byfield, through the National Park and State Forest. The small village of Byfield is a haven for craft and nature lovers and a visit wouldn't be complete without calling in to Nob Creek Pottery. I had to keep my hands tied behind my back to stop from having a "spend-up" there. So many beautiful and unusual pieces of pottery. Then it was off to the Byfield General Store and Cafe to enjoy a hearty pie and coffee to warm up.  The weather didn't seem to brighten up much so it was a good opportunity to spend the afternoon catching up on some correspondence and visit some friends I'd met a couple of days ago. Cheers!

Emerald

I'm getting behind in my blogs. My, how time flies when you're having fun! I don't know how I found time when I was working full time.

Well I've been in Emerald in the Central Highlands for a few days visiting friends who are ex Gold Coast Rockers. The weather continues to be beautiful with clear blue skies and sunny days. The town is very busy and there's evidence of the flooding which occurred earlier, with plenty of repairs happening and the Coles complex has just reopened after all these months.

 I was here for the show on Tuesday and Wednesday and enjoyed looking at all the displays including the photographic competition which drew some 600 entries of a very high standard. Both Ann-Marie and Wayne and another friend are into cameras in a very big way and picked up prizes, so it was interesting to tag along with them and learn a bit about photography. The rest of the time we watched the log sawing, ate junk food, checked out the displays, watched a juggler, watched the fireworks and yakked.

Wednesday we went out to Rubyvale where they mine sapphires – too expensive for me though! We had a meal at the old pub which has been restored to its former character and style. Needless to say it has a few “characters” in there too, as many of the locals are people working on their claims. 

The van is going well with a few minor hiccups but I love driving it and living in it.

Today is Sunday so Ann and Wayne are at their dance class until lunch time. Then they’re coming home and after we eat we’ll go back to the classes. The afternoon session is Old Time and New Vogue so I hope I can remember some of the routines, because it’s been such a long time since I have done any of them. I’ve certainly been getting in a little bit of dancing, with 2 sessions already at line dancing. It’s a struggle doing anything other than  "Beginners”, mind you.

That's all to report for now so until next time, cheers. From Julianne.

Time to add some more news about my travels. I'm still taking my time driving up the coast of Queensland.The weather continues to be fine and sunny, although the nights are still cool.

Last weekend at 1770 I was kept busy with a visit to the festival to watch a re-enactment of Captain Cook's landing on Queensland soil, mooching around the markets, listening to some local musicians and watching some of the Gooreng Gooreng tribal dancers. On Sunday I took a cruise out to Lady Musgrave Island. The trip over was quite rough and I was glad the two hour trip came to an end and that I didn't have to use my sick bag like many of the other passengers. The calm crystal clear turquoise waters were quite stunning and as I made my way across the reef with my snorkel and goggles, I came face to face with colourful coral, and schools of reef fish.  It's easy to see why the Great Barrier Reef is such a magnificent attraction for people. Also saw the media send off for Ben Southall as he sets off on his Greatest Expedition in the World challenge to sail to Cooktown.

Then it was off to Gladstone where I did the Gladstone Coffee Cruise which is a 2 hour leisure experience showing the port and Auckland Inlet. I hadn't realised just how busy and important the Gladstone region is and I was soon to discover the tug berth, Qld Alumina, Boyne smelter and the many harbour islands. It just so happened that the Endeavour Replica was visiting at the same time, so we got an 'up close and personal' look at her too.

Thursday I travelled to Calliope River which is a free camping spot and  which also has an historical village with such a lot of memorabilia and remnants of bygone days. I'm not sure if I could adhere to the 1879 list of rules for teachers, which were clearly displayed on the wall.

I've had a spot of bother with the rear door, as the cord connected to the handle kept slipping, thus making it impossible for me to open the door from the outside. To make matters worse, the weight of the mattress and its position right next to the door, also prevented me from opening it from the inside. Fiat didn't want to know about it and the only way I was going to get any satisfaction was to drive to Townsville (a distance of some 700 kms) to let them assess the situation and decide the best option. I clearly did not think this was a good idea.

As luck would have it,  the fellow in the nearest campsite to me was a mechanic. So two and a half hours later, the problem was fixed. Fingers crossed! Today it has worked every time.

So today I'm in Biloela and have caught up on all the house keeping, including changing the bed, washing, ironing (yes, I still iron), washing the van and have topped up the water tank in case I head off to the National Park near here tomorrow. I'll make that decision when I've had a chat with the Tourist Bureau here.

No more to report for now. Cheers to everyone. From Julianne.

Sunday 15 May

Been on the road nearly two weeks so it's time to let you know how the trip is going.The weather has been great although the nights have been a little chilly. It took a little while getting away from the Sunshine Coast as I visited friends at Beenleigh, Mooloolaba and Caloundra.

Memorable places include the sunsets at Bribie Island and barbie at Maroochydore, lunch with the Red Hatters, the markets at Maryborough and rock 'n' roll dancing at the Sportsmans Club in Maryborough. The handmade icecream from Mamminos in Childers is a must and luckily there's just enough room in the freezer to store a couple of extras for down the road. There's a very touching tribute to the 15 young backpackers who lost their lives in the fire in 2000 at the Palace Hotel which has been beautifully restored and which is now part of the Tourist Information Centre.

The van is traveling well and I've only made a few 'stuff - ups' while getting into the routine. Plan to be in Bundy for a few days as I want to check out the tourist Bureau there and I've heard the Bundy Distillery is a must.

Cheers for now. Julianne