Proserpine to Tully

June 25 to July 1 

Sunday we drove into Proserpine and then Cannonvale and Airlie Beach. The area is still recovering from Cyclone Debbie a few months ago, and still showing evidence of flora and structural damage.

Still getting around to repairs after Cyclone Debbie, Airlie Beach

Airlie Beach has certainly boomed since we were last here around 32 years ago, with an incredible number of apartments built into the mountains.

Airlie Beach

We spent a day beach walking and mountain biking at Dingo Beach and Hydeaway Bay, a very picturesque and quiet corner north of Airlie Beach.

Dingo Beach from Hydeaway Bay ridge

Dingo Beach

We also spent a day in Bowen, or Bowenwood as the water tank sign proclaims after the movie Australia was filmed here (or “Blowin’ Bowen” as the kite-boarders call it). Bowen is also the self-proclaimed Mural Capital of Australia! A surprisingly pretty and inviting town.

Leah playing "Where's Wally" in one of the many murals in Bowen

It was a Show Day public holiday, we also happened on mid-week show days in Rockhampton, Mackay and later in the week Ayr. Not always handy as the whole town tends to close, including shopping centres, Woolies and Bunnings (if they have one).

There is the usual "BIG" something's in a lot of towns, Home Hill has the Big Cane Cutters.

Not the worst "Big" tourist attraction, Home Hill's Big Cane Cutters

A free camp in Home Hill gave us a fire show when they lit a cane fire just out of town.

Home Hill sugarcane fire

We had a day in Townsville, visited our friend Roger at the Pack and Send, and checked out Castle Hill and The Strand beachfront.

There was a lot of motorhomes and caravans (to be expected) on the road, and many like to free camp these days. Most of the known free camps are full by mid-afternoon, and not too inviting when you are shoulder to shoulder. We found a couple of secret spots all to ourselves this week, including on the river at Bluewater just north of Townsville.

Bluewater River Boat Ramp

Next up the highway is Ingham, and east of town to the coast is Lucinda. I thought the coal loading jetty at Dalrymple Bay was long at 3.8km, try Lucinda’s sugar loading jetty at 5.8km!! Officially (according to them) the longest jetty in the Southern Hemisphere.

Lucinda Sugar Loading Jetty, this was badly damaged in 2011 Yazi Cyclone and was shut for repairs for 18 months

For those who have envied our great weather, we arrived in Tully (still claims to be the wettest town in Australia) and the rain started. We still made the most of it and visited Mission Beach, where you can still catch a ferry to Dunk Island (where Leah and I honeymooned). Unfortunately the wind was blowing so they weren’t running. A free 48 hour RV Park at the showgrounds in the middle of Tully made it worthwhile.

Tully RV Park, with the Cassowary Statue on guard

Sunday we headed a little further north to visit Paronella Park, more on that next week.

Rockhampton to Proserpine

June 18 to June 25

Another week of ambling along. We left Rocky on Monday, and there isn’t too much to see between Rockhampton and Mackay (about 300km of nothing). We camped halfway at Waverley Creek before spending a few days around Sarina and Mackay, staying at Melody and Ralph’s in Campwin Beach near Sarina. Leah and Mel went to school together. There was plenty of time to explore the coastal areas including Hay Point and Dalrymple Bay, the largest coal handling facilities in the world.

Dalrymple Bay and Hay Point Coal Loading Facilities

Unfortunately Ralph and I didn’t get to go fishing due to the wind, but we appreciated their “hosting” us and catching up.

We then spent a few days in the Pioneer Valley just west of Mackay. 

Spectacular cloud formation over Eungella National Park

Although not well known, the Eungella (pronounced Young-g’lah) National Park is well worth the effort. The drive into the mountains at the end of the valley to reach Eungella was crazy! 

Looking back down the Pioneer Valley from near the top of the Range

There are warning signs that it is steep, but 4.5km of second and third gear climbing, continuous switchbacks, far steeper than any of the snowy mountain roads over that distance.

One of the Range Road sections and switchbacks.

The Broken River is renowned for platypus, although we didn’t see any on our river walk.

We also hiked the Finch Hatton Gorge to Araluen Cascades in another section of the National Park, which included another adventurous drive including numerous creek crossings and narrow dirt tracks.

Picturesque drive into Finch Hatton Gorge

Not a grand waterfall, but Araluen Cascades was a worthy destination

We stayed at Gargett, a small town in the Pioneer Valley. The local Rodeo Club allows free camping on their grounds, with the sugar cane and mountains as a great backdrop.

Gargett Rodeo Grounds, home for a couple of nights

Sunday we continued north to Proserpine.

Childers to Rockhampton

June 11 to June 18

This week we didn’t travel too far, but took the opportunity to take our time to check out a number of towns we have often past by or just driven through. In Childers we visited the Palace Backpackers Memorial, a fitting tribute to a terrible fire. 

Fishing cheek to cheek, Woodgate. Apparently the whiting only
school on this sand bank.

We enjoyed a couple of days in Woodgate (a relaxing and accommodating hideaway), and a couple of days in and around Bundaberg and Bagara (and had a fridge thermostat problem solved).

Leah enjoying a sunny beach walk, Agnes Waters

We visited Agnes Waters on the way to Calliope, Tannum Sands and Gladstone. 

Cool sculpture at the beach, Tannum Sands

Unfortunately for Gladstone the majority of the construction has been completed for the LNG projects, and the town is very quiet. I had hoped to do a couple of tours of the port area, but they have ceased now the public relations exercises have finished.

Singing Sail, Emu Park. Steel tubes are drilled so the wind
can "sing" as it blows through. Can even be tuned!

We have spent a long weekend in Rockhampton and around the coast at Yeppoon and Emu Park. Yeppoon and Emu Park are a lot nicer than we remembered them from a visit some 25 years ago.

Calliope River Rest Area.

We found a few very good overnight free camps at Boyne River and Calliope River, as well as in the middle of North Rocky, very handy. 

Kershaw Gardens, Rockhampton. About the only part of
the gardens open after Cyclone Debbie.

Rockhampton seems to have recovered quickly from the flooding of Cyclone Debbie, although Kershaw Gardens (where the overnight self-contained RV parking is) is mostly closed for rehabilitation.

Caloundra to Childers

June 4 to June 11

  

Riverside Sunday Live Music, Maryborough

On the road again! Although not as epic as the Big Adventure around Australia, we have headed off for a couple of months to North Queensland. We have agreed to keep a number of you updated on our travels, but I won’t go into so much detail this time. I will however add as many photos as needed.

Small cod to go with plenty of whiting

We departed Caloundra on Sunday and travelled to Maryborough, only a couple of hours north. We have passed through Maryborough many times going to Hervey Bay, but recently Maryborough have focused on the travelling community to boost their tourist numbers. We spent six nights in the Wide Bay area, mostly being well hosted by Bert and Di, long-time friends from the Council days. We were very fortunate to enjoy great weather, Bert took me out on his boat fishing, although the serious fish were being elusive (much to Bert’s frustration). We did catch a good feed of whiting and a rogue estuary cod. It was great to catch up with them and have some relaxing time around River Heads and Hervey Bay.

View from our "sunroom", top spot at
Bert and Di's #2 house at River Heads

Leah absorbing the Mary Poppins story.

Maryborough has a new 48 hour free-parking area in the centre of town, to try and further tap into the travelling tourism market. We did a guided walking tour around the town centre, checked out the Mary Poppins backstory, and enjoyed numerous local attractions. I had no idea how important Maryborough was to Queensland’s history. Nearly becoming the capital of Queensland, the first international port in the state, the first telephone exchange, the list goes on.

48 Hour RV parking in the centre of Maryborough

Geraghtys Store Museum, ran 100 years to 1971,
and is presented as it was when it closed

We finished the week in Childers, near Bundaberg, where they also offer free overnight parking in town.