25.9.11
Wer’e now back in Longreach just to collect our part and camp out again at Hirst workshop yard and head off in the morning.
26.9.11
On to Barcaldine to take a shortcut north to Torrens creek on the way to Townsville – torrens creek has a population of about 17 I think but in taking the shortcut we had to travel the last 35kms on dirt road, seeing Emu with baby chicks and wild camels on the way – God that last 35kms was hard and the dolly is RED, Oh well another wash in the morning. We stayed in the back garden of the local pup which is also the shop and service station, we went in for a well earned beer and sitting there we noticed that the ceiling is completely covered in peoples signatures, we did’nt get to sign ours.
Emu and Chicks
After the 35 kms of dirt road!
27.9.11
On to Charters towers today – charters towers had a gold rush starting 25 dec 1871 when an Aboriginal boy named Jupiter went to find lost horses and found gold laden quartz which he brought back to the boss Hugh Mosman who promptly registered his claim charters towers produced ore worth 25 million pounds up until 1916. This was Queenslands 2nd largest city and was affectionately called the world because of its cosmopolitan population.
It even had a stock exchange and a city hall!
We had a walk around the Venus gold battery which is the old gold processing plant and the guide is a 4th generation Charters boy who had a wealth of knowledge to share. We stayed in a caravan park which was lovely to get washing done and a nice LONG shower.
The Stock Exchange
City Hall
Charters Towers street scape
29.9.11
We’re doing some research and realised we are not that far from a place called Undarra (means Long ) Volcanic National park
It’s claim to fame are the Lava Tubes of which 90kms ( they say the longest in the world) of these were formed from the cooling of molten lava from the eruption of a Volcano – we’ve never seen any before so were off and stay overnight at fletchers creek and then stop at the Blue water springs roadhouse made famous by a song recorded by slim dusty so we stop off there for something to eat and drink to see a sign outside saying “No pay No Pee” - I guess a lot of folks knowing about the song just stop to have a look. Whilst in the dining room there were some interesting pictures – will insert photos of.
Rob at Blue water springs and check out the property for sale !
On to the Oasis road house overnight and then the Lava tubes.
We had the choice of tours here at Undarra and normally we would take the most active one but you had to wear covered in shoes and I still can’t get a shoe on yet, so we take the next best tour which works out to be great anyway. The tubes are 190,000 yrs old and I’m told by some that that’s not old but for us it’s a first.
Going down into a Lava tube
Looking up at the rim of the Lava tube
A Laden Mango tree at Mt Surprise
Our Shower block at Mt Surprise - no surprise we're in the country!
Close to here is Forty mile scrub National park but were heading for Mt Surprise in the gulf of Savannah – a historic rail town and another gem field, this area is famous for Aquamarine, Blue topaz and Quartz, so we head off there for a couple of nights, It’s a quiet little place and full of Mango trees which are about a month or so away from fruiting, so no mangos for us – well no fresh ones at least.
We were sitting outside at the local pub when a young lad came for a chat and as we talked he asked which way we were going and we said Townsville and he said he used to work over that way at a crocodile farm in Ingham just north of Townsville (it’s crocodile country over that way) and also mentioned that he had worked for Steve Irwin the Aussie who was famous for playing with the crocs and demonstrating on TV and at his zoo in Beerwah south of here. He told us that they would put large blocks of ice in with the crocs to cool them down and make them slower ready for his shows – not sure whether I like hearing the reality sometimes.
3.10.11
We arrive in Townsville and park at Bluewater park about 25kms from town and I’m really looking forward to catching up with Ron (one of my last apprentices) and also to find a new headlight for the Motorhome it caught a rock from a passing truck.
We are off to Jamaica Joes to meet Ron (who’s now half way through his Nursing degree ) and his partner Sean – it was sooo cool to catch up and have a wine and to be invited back to theirs for dinner cooked by Ron!! It was such a great night.
Studious Ron has discovered food!
We're at Jamaica joes - that smile was always a killer!
I guess there's all kinds of accomodation! Not sure whether they dive in and eject out - parked next to us at Blue water park.
The beach close by at Bluewater - Townsville
I guess there's all kinds of accomodation! Not sure whether they dive in and eject out - parked next to us at Blue water park.
Townsville is in the tropics and has a very relaxed feel and is home to the head quarters to the Great Barrier reef. The centre itself is very small and there are lots of large shopping centres around it, with a nice little foreshore where we met up with Ron.
Townsville esplanade beach
Time to leave Townsville.
12.10.11
We’re starting to head south now as it’s just getting a bit too hot and steamy so were off to Bowen this is at the tip of the Whitsunday’s. The town and locality is well known for their mango’s and again we are a month too early damn it!!
13.10.11
Off to Airlie beach which is at the centre of the Whitsundays (the Whitsundays were once a mountain range), it’s a beautiful tropical town with a party atmosphere and a cosmopolitan blend of Bars/restaurants. They do day cruises to the Whitsundays and to the great barrier reef – Bugger my toe still hurts to put shoes on so we’ll do the cruise instead.
We spending three nights here and were off on the cruise firstly to Daydream island and resort for the morning and Lunch at Mermaids on the tce and then back on board to cruise to the famous Whitehaven Silica beach where I’ll introduce you to “Princess”, well- no I’ll do it now... We were heading towards Whitehaven beach when the young stewardess announced that we would be leaving the cruiser and going on a smaller boat to get to the beach so will everyone take off their shoes as we’ll be knee deep in water as we get off the boat and need to wade to shore – so we’re queuing up to disembark and I keep my fitflops on and Rob still has his sport shoes on – so she said Sir you’ll get your shoes wet if you don’t remove them, and Rob playing said that’s OK I’ll get my wife to carry me!! She said what with a broken toe I don’t think so...Oh we have a Princess here do we she said and laughed as Rob hopped into the small boat – well then there was a mad scramble to get his runners off and packed away ready to wade ashore and sure enough we slid over the edge of the boat basically up to our bums in water it was hysterical not only did he get his feet wet but everything else too so he promptly walked and found somewhere to change into his Bathers, then we spend a couple of hours there before having to wade out even further for the boat to return, but instead of a knight helping me back on board I had my trusty Princess – when it was his turn to get back on the boat he really jumped and not expecting another passenger to pull him aswell he basically catapulted back in the boat not even touching the sides much to the amusement of all on board :o) :o) and off we cruised on past long Island and Hamilton island ( apparently Julia Roberts has a house on Hamilton Is) and hook island arriving back at the Marina and home to the caravan park.– All of the Islands looked beautiful and it would be great to do an Island hop another time.
Back at the Caravan Park we meet a great couple Peter and Wilma who had only been in Oz for 12 days from Holland and were here for 6mths travelling – they were in something like a Combi van and doing really well and I complain about the motorhome space!! We’re in heaven really.
15.10.11
There was a community beach market on today and it was great with music, food, and all the usual stuff.
We’ve been looking for some bathers for Finney and managed to get some really cool ones at a surf shop today in Airlie Bch it was really funny we left the shop through the back door and ended up at the beach which is right behind the shops with swimming pools aswell.
Our cruiser for the day just arrived at daydream island
Lunch at Mermaids on the deck
Living reef at Daydream Island
One of the three mermaids at mermaid beach
Daydream Island
Helipad at Daydream Is
luminous Coral
Just cruising - there are 74 Islands in the whitsundays that was once a mountain range.
Here's Princess! at whitehaven beach
HI From Princess - what great legs!
The famous Whitehaven beach
Beautiful fish at the living reef
Step out of the shops at Airlie Bch and this is what you find - just have a quick cool off and back for more shopping :o)
Coral at the Living Reef
16.10.11
As we leave Airlie Beach we are still travelling south and it’s massive sugarcane country fields and fields of it as we head towards Mackay named after the explorer John Mackay. Sugar has been grown here since 1865 and is known as Queensland’s sugar city producing one third of Australia’s sugar crop.
We divert through to Homebush and stay at the General Gordon Pub overnight next to a massive sugarcane crop. The hotel has an open dining room with a roof over top and that’s it. I guess they don’t need to be closed in up here.
17.10.11
Off again through to Sarina not far from Mackay to look at the sugar refinery and go for a tour - We now have a really good appreciation of the sugar refining process - you know the cane needs to be at the refinery with in 16 hrs of harvest to process as fermentation starts - we saw the process of crushing the cane and they crush 3 times - we tasted some cane juice and it was much like the flavour of sweet honeydew melon.
Here at Sarina the refinery produces ethanol - the largest we think in Australia and it runs 24/7 for the whole season which I think starts from May and ends around Nov and then has until next season to be maintained-but at the sugar shop next door they make all sorts of preserves/sauces/spirits etc; so we had a tasting and still smacking our lips we now have a bottle of Butterscatch Schapps to share at Xmas
Refinery at Sarina
off St Lawrence overnight and down to Byfield State Forest for a couple of days.
The weather is extremely windy here due to a front further north where they are having heavy rains and we hear that the similar weather pattern that Qld had last year is on its way again so it’s good we are heading south.
Princess is in his element at the Red Rock campground at Byfield as he can light a campfire – he should have been a boy scout :o).
photo soon
photo soon
20.10.11
Were heading for Rockhampton to get a new windscreen ( this happened in Tassie a rock from someone’s 4wheel drive hit it) It’s great they said it will take 2hrs and it only took 15mins so wer’e off to Calliope river where Princess want’s to do some voluntary restoration work for a few days.
27.10.11
All the restoration work for the Birthday boy Robbo is done and were off again maybe towards Bundaberg the southern most access point to the Barrier Reef and the famous place for that Amber spirit Bundaberg Rum...
Back soon
