Carmila Beach to Mackay

Another day on the move. I started the day feeling unwell due to some tummy wog but thankfully that cleared up as the day went on.

Anyway, we packed up and were on the move about 0900. You guessed correctly, we did stop in Carmila at the Roadhouse for a final cappuccino. A different barista this morning and the coffee was much better.

Then on the road with our next brief stop in Sarina at the Tourist office where we gathered some information sheets for places further north. A busy Tourist Information centre that was again staffed by volunteers.

We soon arrived on the edge of Mackay and I made a stop at a caravan accessory shop to see if I could obtain some O rings but to no avail.

Children's digger in the Park.

So we drove on a bit and went to East Mackay Beach where we had our sandwiches in the Quota Park. After our lunch we walked to the beach and from there could see at least 5 coal freighters waiting to load.

East Mackay Beach

Then we drove around to Angie and Drew's home and set up the Karavan in their garden. We chatted away and had a lovely fish dinner and of course some nice wine. After dinner, we watched the NSW/Queensland State of Origin final match which Queensland won. Then it was off to get some sleep.

Carmila Beach Day 2

There was no rush again, so another relaxing day by the Coral Sea.

After we had done all that was necessary around the Karavan, we drove the short drive to the Carmila Roadhouse and you guessed correctly. Our purpose was for a cappuccino!

Old tractor near the road

Before we went into the Roadhouse, we chatted to the relieving Police Officer. She has a 6 week posting in the area. She told us about some of the events that happen in the area. Her first thoughts coming to Carmila was that it would be very quiet but with a Mud Rally at Flaggy Rock, a rodeo nearby and some other organised events changed that thought. We specifically asked her about some roads/tracks I found on a topographical map of the area, unfortunately, she was not able to enlighten us much.

So after coffee, we set off to drive about 25 kilometres west of the Roadhouse. Towards the end of it was almost like “Deliverance Country”. We encountered a mob of black feral pigs on the track near the end of our drive up that road.  Most of the drive was surrounded by sugar cane fields but the last little bit was all cattle country or maybe even some other ‘cropping’. We returned back to the Roadhouse then turned south on the Bruce Highway to Flaggy Rock and turned west to explore that area. It was better type of grazing country as far as we could go. There was also more sugar cane growing. After reaching a locked gate, we backtracked to the Highway and crossed over and explored to the East. All we found was an unused airfield that had obviously not been mown for a while but must have had some use in the past as the power line was put underground to cross it.

We then returned back to the Highway and to the Flaggy Rock Exotic Garden where we had lunch with a fairly ordinary coffee. We both had nice home made pies and peas for lunch.

Following lunch, we returned to the Roadhouse to refuel the Mazda BT50 and to get some 15 litres of petrol for the Honda generator. Then it was back to camp and some reading and relaxing.

Later in the afternoon, we went for a walk along the 4 Mile Beach that we have been overlooking for the past few days. It is very relaxing here and generally very quiet. The tide does run out and in at a rapid rate and I am guessing it rises more than 2 metres to top of the tide. Just flats are left for about 500 metres out at low tide.

Tomorrow, we move up to Mackay to our friends Angie and Drew for a few days.

Carmila Beach

We had a very lazy morning this morning. We had slept really well and not rushed out of bed as it was very comfortable temperature wise.

After we had breakfast, we tidied up around the Karavan. Then we drove into Carmila to the BP Roadhouse mainly to post some cards off to friends. Our early observation was that a reasonable coffee could be had there. So our orders were placed and we were not disappointed while we drank our coffees. Might have to go back again tomorrow!

Following our coffee break, we went for a drive on the western side of the Bruce Highway. It was nearly all sugar cane land separated by creeks and roads. After a while we came to what appeared to be the end of the public road so we turned around and returned to our camp area.

I decided to run the Honda generator as the battery system had dropped a bit more than I had expected. After a bit of looking around, we discovered the fridge door catch was not shutting properly. My repair was to use some shrink tube on the pin that the door lock works on. It appears that that may have solved the issue.

Later in the afternoon, we went for a walk along 4 Mile Beach to the north and to the channel used by the small boats. There were quite a lot of people walking on the beach.

By then it was time to prepare for dinner. We did chat to neighbours from Tuncurry in NSW. They are here for several days as we are.

Rockhampton to Carmila Beach

This morning was time to say farewell to Bruce and Kaye. It was hard to leave after having such a wonderful few days with them. One of the highlights was the arranging for us to join with them at the Leo Sayer concert last night. That is really going to stay in our minds for a long time. We even played the CD that went with the concert tickets as we traveled today and no doubt will do so again.

After we left Bruce and Kaye, we refueled the Mazda and topped up the tank on the Karavan that runs the stove and hot water heater.

It was time to have a final coffee fix at Sexie Coffee in Rockhampton. We were not disappointed. As we walked back to where we parked, we picked up a few items at the news agency we passed.

So now we rejoined the Bruce Highway. We traveled a short distance to the Caves and went in only to find that the tour was not on for a while and this would have delayed our trip, too much. So we set off again with our next stop at a Driver Reviver station north of Marlborough. This was a good opportunity to walk around and stretch legs.

After we had traveled around 230 kilometres, we arrived at Carmila. It was lunch time so we visited the small hotel for lunch. It was a reasonable meal but nowhere near the quality of recent cafes or restaurants. The owner was willing to chat and told us of the hard times she has experienced during and following the recent floods and cyclone. She told of many businesses that were unable to get assistance for flood loss and have now closed. Apparently, the Queensland Government have money that was mainly donated by the community for just this purpose but a lot have been refused any help.

After lunch we drove the short distance to Carmila Beach. We eventually found a good campsite only about 50 metres from the water, at high tide. It is a little windy but was nice in the sun. We have 2 Dutch girls camped next to us and they are easy to talk to. They are from the university city of Groningen

So it is a nice quiet evening in the Karavan with only the radio to amuse us.

Rockhampton area

Sunrise over the Coral Sea coast

This morning we awoke to a magnificent view towards Great Keppel Island. It was a clear morning so it was great to see. After having a lazy breakfast we eventually packed up and headed back to Rockhampton.

Part of the view from Bruce and Kaye's unit in Yeppoon

When we arrived back into Rockhampton, Bruce and I went to the regular monthly auction while Prue and Kaye went home for a while. I had not been to an auction for a long time. I remarked to Bruce that the faces are different but the characters are the same at most of these auctions. It was entertaining nonetheless.

Cambridge Hotel with Bar and Grill around the corner

After a while Prue and Kaye returned to collect us from the auction.We all then went into Rockhampton CBD for lunch at the Cambridge Bar and Grill. A nice meal with beautifully flavoured  meat.  This was followed by a walk around to the old Post Office's Degani Bakery Cafe. After the beautiful coffee we wandered back to the car and returned to Bruce and Kaye's home.

Bruce and Kaye at Degani Bakery Cafe

We had a relaxing afternoon and an early dinner as we were going to the Leo Sayer concert.

The Leo Sayer 40th anniversary concert was fantastic. The show started with a performance by new entertainer, Andrew Lawson. He was very good and had appeared on television show " X Factor".  He will be very good as he gets more exposure.

Then after a break we were entertained by Leo Sayer  for almost 2 hours. He is so energetic on stage mixing the performance with humour, dance and especially singing his endless list of songs. He has not lost any shine even after performing for more than 40 years. We highly enjoyed the whole show and recommend it to you if it comes your way.

Fitzroy River in Rockhampton

After the show, we were told that the Queensland Reds Rugby team had beaten the NZ Blues 30 -13. Now they will play the NZ's Crusaders in Brisbane next weekend, after they beat the South African Stormers 29 - 10. That should be a fantastic game to watch as it is apparent these two teams will be close in ability.

Rockhampton

We were up and about at a reasonable hour.

Our first job this morning was some washing and then into town for another coffee at Sexie Coffee. Prue bought some items at the Health Food shop and then we went to the Stockland Centre in North Rockhampton.

While there, we purchased some pharmacy items, grocery items and also a power adapter for my Dell laptop.

After an early lunch Prue went for a Bowen Therapy session. After I dropped her there I went off for a drive into the Ridgeland region. I could see evidence of where the earlier flood had been by the debris caught on the fences. On the way I passed by a large cotton crop being picked before I turned and made my way across to Gracemere and back into  Rockhampton to pick Prue up.

On arrival back at Bruce and Kaye's home, we found them home and Bruce needed a hand to remove and replace washing machines.

We had made a decision earlier in the day to go to their apartment, for an overnight stay, overlooking the beach at Yeppoon. The view from there is absolutely stunning looking out to Great Keppel Island as well as all the other islands there.

Our dinner was booked for Megalomania Bar & Bistro. The meal was absolutely beautiful and we enjoy being there except for the noisy young women almost next to us. Wonderfully prepared food with nice wine. Our thanks must go to Margy and Phil for the recommendation. So we then retired to the apartment for the night.

Dingo to Rockhampton

No photos today.

We were up at a reasonable hour and said farewell to Margy as she was leaving early for Toowoomba.

So it was a leisurely early morning. It was an easy pack up and no rush. Phil went out with his tractor to move some soil in the melon hole and was away for a little while.

On Phils return, we finished packing up and then joined Phil for morning tea in the sun.

It was then time to move on , so we said farewell to Phil and then set off.

We stopped for lunch at the rest area in Westwood. A fellow traveler came over to inspect how I have my bike mounted as he was not happy with the way his was mounted on his caravan.

A short time after lunch we rejoined the Bruce Highway and entered Rockhampton. My homing instinct guided me to a coffee shop I enjoyed last year, Sexie Coffee. The coffee is really nice there. The right temperature and presentation. I guess we will visit it again before we leave, at least once more!

Then we drove the short distance to Bruce and Kaye's home on The Range in Rockhampton. It is a beautiful home with a wonderful view of Mount Arthur.  We chatted for a while before I manipulated the Karavan up a slope to park it in their garden. A fair bit of clutch slippage but eventually safely in place and set up. Then it was almost time for dinner and a lovely catch up time.