Charters Towers

Along the way we met a guy who was from Charters Towers and was singing its praises. He told us to go inland from Townsville to Charters Towers, then follow The Great Inland Way north, then come back down along the coast. We are so glad we listened to his advice!

Leaving Townsville and heading west, you meet the outback almost immediately. Dry dusty country with a few cattle. The road is littered with dead animals, mostly kangaroos, so the driver needs to concentrate. We also see the first of the "Road Train" signs, and it isn't long before we see the first of these monsters, a truck with 4 trailers hauling cattle, all 50 metres of it!

One of the old bank buildings

After less than 2 hours we are in Charters Towers. It is an old town with a lot of history, built around the gold rush of the 1880's. Yes this is another gold rush town. We didn't know they found gold in so many places, and lots of it! The town has kept most of its magnificent old buildings, and there are some pretty impressive examples built in stone and wood. The town is nicely kept, has some beautiful parks, and they do a good job of keeping them green. A quick stop at the Visitor Information Centre to collect our homework, to plan activities for our stay.


We find our home for the next few days, The Dalrymple Tourist Van Park, on the northern edge of town, next to the golf course, which to John's surprise has grass greens, but not much other grass in sight! The Park is nice and spacious, lots of trees, but not too tall to stop our satellite TV, and the managers are very friendly and helpful. We like the feel of the park, it looks well maintained, and it has a nice shaded swimming pool, which will soon have us in it! Yes the weather has turned warm to hot and we are loving it. We are fascinated to find out that our neighbours have been living on the road for nine and a half years. What is most remarkable is that Kevin is blind. He has about 1 percent vision, so sees only basic shape. Listening to him tell about his adventures getting into amenity blocks with their various codes and keys, was quite hilarious. He knows where the fridge is, can open a stubby, gets his wife to walk him to the bin once so he knows where the empties go, and then he's set! His wife does all the driving, and puts a lot of blokes to shame the way she handles their 22ft caravan behind the Landcruiser. I loved the way she rubbished a new arrival, who had chosen a drive through site, even though he was staying a few days. "Probably can't reverse the bloody little thing! I see it all the time! Too bloody precious to make an idiot of himself. How the hell is he gunna bloody well learn! I dunno!"



This pub is now a B & B

Next day, we walked the 2 km into town to do the walking heritage trail around town, and find out all about the old buildings. There are so many. They are all in the square mile that is the centre of town. The Post Office is impressive, as are all the old bank buildings. The old Police Station is an impressive old Queenslander built from wood, and is right in the middle of town. It is one of the few remaining ones of its kind in Queensland. Apparently it was badly damaged by fire in the 1980's, but the towns people, fought and raised funds to have it rebuilt, rather than lose the history. You wouldn't even recognise the Target Store that is hidden behind the facade of an old emporium with beautiful lead light display cabinets out front, amid old tiled walkways. Seems odd looking at Targets cheap range of merchandise, badly arranged in these magnificent cabinets. Take a Target manager out of his/her square box modern store, with its uniform aisles and standard shelves, and they haven't got a clue what to do!!

Stock Exchange Arcade

At its height, the town really must have buzzed. It was locally known as "The World", as it was believed there was nothing on earth you could want for. One of the first Stock Exchanges in Australia, was founded in Charters Towers, in an attempt to stop con men selling shares in bogus mines, and to raise capital from overseas, to open new mines and expand existing mines. Apparently it was very successful. The Stock Exchange Arcade is beautifully restored, and has some very interesting displays and stories to tell. The stories you read about some of the trading sessions, would curl your hair. Fortunes made and lost, hearts broken and lives taken. The Stock Exchange saw it all and more!

Tower Hill, with its water tank still proudly displaying "The World", sits above town and gives a panoramic view over the town and surrounding area. It is riddled with old shafts and mullock heaps, but the road up to the top is easy, and the display showing the old town and mine layout, was really worthwhile. Apparently many of the old mines were taken over by the army during WW11, to house munitions, and many of these bunkers are still visible. The Yanks also had set up an air base here, and there were a lot of US troops to fill the dozens of Pubs in town! The museums and many of the historic buildings have some great photographs of the war years.

The weir at Charters Towers

Maybe a Hops Farm????

A drive out to the Charters Towers Weir was worthwhile. The original weir was built in the late 1890's to provide water to the bursting town. The mighty Burdekin River was dammed, and Charters Towers was drought proofed. The weir was raised and strengthened in the 1980's, and now holds an enormous volume of water. The width of the river, given that we are a fair way from the ocean, gives testimony to the volume of water that comes downstream during the wet season. It must be spectacular to see. The area is a popular picnic area, though there is no swimming in this area, which is also a haven for birds.



Charters Towers Drive In

The last highlight of our stay in Charters Towers, was a chance to relive the 1960's and '70's. Would you believe that they have a working, twin Drive-in Theatre in town! So we packed up the car and headed out to see Cars 2 and Pirates of the Caribbean, in Field 2, yes you even get a double feature! We bought dinner from the cafe, and to our surprise it was really nice, all freshly made, and settled in for the night. We had a fun night. Would you believe that it cost us $6 each to get in. I didn't have the heart to ask for a senior concession! Dinner for two, comprising hamburger for John, a Toastie for Carol and chips to share, cost us $8.50. I think we paid more than that in the '60's! The crowd really rolled in. Field 1 had 2 cars, and Field 2 had 4 cars. The car in front of us had 2 couples and they all got out of the car and sat in fold up chairs! These young ones haven't got a clue! I managed to keep Carol's hands off my body long enough to see most of the Pirates, but I succumbed to her advances during Cars 2, despite that bloody console between us!

We got home really late, had a good sleep in, well as good as Carol can, and enjoyed a lazy day around the caravan park for our last day, doing a few chores. As the neighbours were moving on, we also got to see Kevin show off, by hitching up the caravan. I have enough trouble, and I'm seeing what I'm doing! Kevin said "she told me I can keep doing it until the bloody thing comes off, then I'm sacked. Been following us for 9 and a half years and ain't come off yet!"

Next morning we also hitched up and bid Charters Towers farewell, thankful that our friend had suggested the detour. We now headed north along The Gregory Developmental Road, which forms a part of "The Great Inland Way" from Sydney to Cairns. We are in the accessible outback, and loving the change of scenery.

Townsville

Our plans have become a bit fluid, and the itinerary is regularly changing as we talk to people and read about new sights to see. Fortunately for us, but unfortunately for you, many of the places are remote and unique, which means no Internet, and often no phone reception, which means no blog updates as we go, so now it's catch up time again!

Bowen is famous for mangoes!

We left Mackay heading for Townsville. North through the endless fields of sugar cane, past all the harvesting activity, and into Proserpine where the sugar cane mill is belching steam, a clear indication of the busy time at hand. Time for a quick coffee at a small new place in town, whose name I can't remember, but whose coffee was good, then back on the road. Proserpine is also the turn off point for The Whitsundays, which we plan to do on the way back. So past the turn off and on to Bowen, which as anyone who has eaten one knows, is famous for mangoes. At the moment the trees are just teasing us. It will be a few weeks before they are in full fruit, so we are stopping here also on the way back.

Past Bowen and on to the twin towns of Home Rule and Ayr, separated by the mighty Burdekin River, the second largest river in Australia by water flow, and the major reason why this area is such an agricultural marvel. The bridge across the river is almost 1 km long, and it must be an amazing sight in the wet season. Ayr is the bigger of the twin towns and again we will spend a day or two here on the way back. It is affluent, and has a nice ambiance about it. Carol's sister and family spent a couple of years here more that 20 years ago, and that is the only other time we've been here. It doesn't look familiar at all. We found a fantastic Italian deli for lunch, full of fresh and home made goodies, and satisfied our hunger and stocked up the larder.

Roadside Fruit & Veg Stall

 Back on the road, we soon are past the lush sugar cane and into some rugged and dry farmland, that has only a few cattle, and looks more like the outback than the coast. Fires are burning around the ranges and the air is full of smoke and visibility is poor. It stays like this all the way to Townsville, although we did find a really good fruit stall at a farm gate along the highway, and we stocked up. You know you are in North Queensland when the fruit is tropical and the prices are low. Beautiful Paw Paw and Papaya, Pineapples, and Melons are only $1 or $2 each, Avocados can be as cheap as 20cents each in bag lots, and Passion fruit are 7 for $1. (Our English friend Jim has probably just fainted and fallen off his chair!) Even bananas are now down around $5 per kg. So stocked up we drive into Townsville.

Townsville from Castle Hill

Townsville is a big sprawling city. It is in a dry and dusty bowl, and at the moment extremely smokey. It is home to the Lavarack Army Base of some 25,000 troops, an RAAF Base, and a lot of Metal Processing Industry. The tin and copper and other minerals of Mt.Isa Mines are sent to Townsville by rail for processing and export.

Waterfront Townsville

We eventually find our Caravan Park. According to the brochure it was close to everything, but unfortunately, the things it was closest too, a busy truck route, airport and water treatment plant, weren't in the brochure! The park itself was OK, but our neighbours were a rustic family of 30, in town for a wedding, and hell bent on partying. Don't you love it when intoxicated persons whisper to each other at 80 decibels "SHHH its late, keep the noise down!"

Hillside homes on Castle Hill

The town itself is very modern, with lots of new buildings and shopping centres. It is built around Castle Hill, which looms over the city. You get a great 360 degree view. There is some amazing architecture around the hill, as everyone tries to get a view out to Magnetic Island. The waterfront area near the harbour and along the Strand is very nice, but it seems to lack people, and is more expensive than any other town we've been to. For example we had terrific Fish & Chips at the Marina in Mackay for $20, but in Townsville same Fish & Chips was $30, and it was average. We did have a nice dinner in town at the Eat Street area on Palmer Street, but were very amused by the taxi driver who described Townsville as Brownsville, because of the dry dusty look.

The aquarium is very good, and Magnetic Island is popular, but we decided not to go over, as the weather was constantly windy. We mostly had a look around by car and on foot, but would summarise our stay in Townsville as underwhelming. Sorry Townsville!

Mackay Region

We left Tannum Sands and headed north for Mackay. The countryside is fairly bland coastal scrub, so a pretty boring drive. We are in cattle country, with our coffee stop at Rockhampton, the proclaimed Beef Capital of Australia. There are statues of cows at every corner! Our coffee stop is, you guessed it, Sexie Coffie!

North of Rockhampton, we soon find the fields changing to flat farmland, planted with sugar cane. We have entered Australia's sugar bowl, and it is a huge area stretching along the coastal plain to Townsville and beyond. More on the sugar scene later.

The world's last fully operational
kerosene powered lighthouse
at Mackay harbour 

We arrive in Mackay mid afternoon and are immediately surprised by its size and urban spread. It is much bigger than Gladstone. Thanks to Polly, our sat nav, we work our way across town, to the Andergrove Top Tourist Park, situated on the northern beaches of Mackay. It is a nice park, set among playing fields, with lots of palms and banana plants, and lots of birds, mostly lorikeets and a pretty waterbird that looked like a duck but sounded like a lorikeet. They were very friendly, and Carol was soon feeding them. I must buy a book on Australian birds. I did inquire at a book shop, but the volume she showed me required two people to carry it, and my comment "do they have a pocket version", went straight through to the keeper!

It is an impressive harbour at Mackay

We headed off around Mackay. First to the magnificent harbour, which won an award last year for "Best Harbour" in Australia. Who gives out these awards? Who really cares which is the best harbour? Anyway, it is very impressive, and passed the only real test, it has a great Fish 'n Chip takeaway, next to the lighthouse!

Like Gladstone, Mackay's growth is driven by the coal industry. The blue and yellow flouro uniform is every where.
Unlike Gladstone, all the heavy industry happens away from town, with separate coal loading facilities about 20km south of town at Hay Point. According to the lady at the Visitor Information centre, current population for Mackay and surrounds, is 120,000 and expected to double in the next 15 to 20 years as the coal industry expands.



Dragon Boat races at Eileo Beach

We drove out to the beach side communities of Bucasia Beach and Eileo Beach. These are extremely popular with the locals, though we can't get used to the fact that the tides recede so far! At low tide you can walk a mile before you get wet! We drove up to the beautifully located Eileo Pub, and looked down on the beach and dragon boat races. The poor bastards doing the racing, were getting most of their exercise dragging the boats out to the water!

Sarina Sugar Shed Tour

Tasting the sugar products

As usual, we relied heavily on the recommendations of the Tourist Information Centre. We look for the big "I" in every town. Staffed mostly by volunteers who are usually passionate about their area, we headed out to the Sarina Sugar Shed. Sarina is a small town about 30 kms south, and is home to the Sarina Sugar Mill. With all the changes to Occupational Health & Safety making it extremely difficult to do tours of the mill, these clever people have built a miniature working sugar mill! It is called the Sarina Sugar Shed, and we loved our tour, at the Seniors price of $15.00 each. We were shown every facet of the sugar industry, from planting the cane to the final bi-products of ethylene and fertiliser. It is an industry that has no waste. Everything is used. At the end of the tour we got to taste some of the products made, such as liqueurs and schnapps, and sauces, and of course sugar! It was an excellent tour.

Lunch with Jen & Dave
at Airlie Beach

On Sunday, we took a drive to Airlie Beach, about 1.5 hours north. Airlie Beach is the gateway to the Whitsundays, and is backpacker heaven. We plan to stay a few days on our return down the coast. This visit is to meet up with John's sister Jenny, and hubby Dave, who are presently doing the round Australia cruise on board the Dawn Princess, and as luck would have it, were spending the day at Airlie Beach. It was fantastic to catch up over a lazy lunch at the pub across from the beach. We hadn't seen Jen & Dave since Christmas, so it was a real treat. Seemed strange though, dropping them off at the tender and waving them off on their 5 mile journey back out to the Dawn Princess.

The sugar trains.

Back at Mackay, our next day is a spent doing a wonderful drive up into the Pioneer Valley and the Eungalla (pronounced Young galah) National Park. Initially we travel through fields of sugar cane and passed sugar mills, that are all working flat out, as it is the middle of the harvesting season. We are enthralled by the miles of narrow gauge railway, that is still used to move the cane from the fields to the mills. We stopped to take a photograph of one of the trains, and to our surprise, the train slowed and one of the engineers came down out of the engine, and walked straight up to us for a chat! He had a huge smile and was really proud of the rail network, which he told us is the largest small gauge railway in the world, with over 11,000kms of track and some 25 - 30 engines, though we did laugh when he told us not to drive too close as track maintenance was not all that flash, and the little trains had a habit of jumping off the tracks!

The climb up to Eungalla

Further up the valley we started an amazingly steep climb, to the top of the range at Eungalla and Broken River. We now enter one of the longest rain forests in Australia, and the contrast to the cane farms is dramatic. This is also one of the few places you can regularly see platypus, but our timing was wrong, you need dawn and dusk, but the walks to the river viewing platforms were great. Along the top of the ridge are a number of spots to walk through the rain forest, to some amazing views of the Pioneer Valley below.

Pinnacle Hotel Pie & Peas

After checking out a number of lookouts, we return down the hill and head for the iconic Pinnacle Hotel. We were told about this as a must do. It is famous for its pies, which can be simply purchased, or served as a meal in the traditional way with mushy peas, chips and gravy. Not hard to guess which we choose. Steak & Black Pepper pies with the works, washed down with a schooner of the local XXXX ( remember that Queenslanders cant spell beer!) Well this is about the tenth "best pie in Australia" we have sampled, and whilst it was good, it didn't make our top 3. No.1 still remains the pies from "Creme della Creme" in Camden, but the experience was great, and very popular for a weekday.



Cascades at Finch Hatton Gorge

To walk off lunch, we headed back down the road to the Finch Hatton Gorge. We had read about this spot, with its beautiful walks through the rain forest to the waterfalls and swimming holes at Araluen Falls and the Wheel of Fire. The drive in is beautiful, with a number of water crossings and the river beds full of boulders and rushing waters amid the rain forest. We did the walk to the Araluen Cascades, about 45 minutes each way. The walk is moderate and beautiful, and the falls at the end are well worth it. We didn't have enough time to do the other walk, but this is an area we will come back to and spend a lot more time in the rain forest.



The sun sets over our caravan park at Mackay.

Back to the caravan park and more feeding of the birds, who are all waiting when we get back. It doesn't take long for them to remember where the daily feed comes from! The drive back is through the cane fields, which are still a hive of activity as dusk approaches. It is a beautiful evening, so we open a bottle of wine and sit down to watch the sunset. they are spectacular up here. Tomorrow we head for Townsville.

Tannum Sands & Gladstone

It is about 450km from Golden Beach to Tannum Sands. We soon leave the rain behind, and the further we drive the sunnier and warmer it gets. Our plan is to get to Far North Queensland before the weather gets too hot & humid, so we are bypassing a number of towns that we will call into either on the way back or at another time.

The name says it all!

As always, we are on the lookout for a good coffee stop, and this time find it just north of Maryborough, and it's called Sexie Coffie. If you're not into coffee, then you can try the Strip Teas! It is a bright fresh establishment with good eats and the coffee was very good. We later find another outlet in Rockhampton, so it looks like it might be a franchise. We tried both, and they were equally as good. A little further up the road, we find another little outlet with a sign out front saying "we may not be Sexie but we're hot!" Gotta love there quick wit!

Wild Cattle Point Cycleway

Tannum Sands is about 25km south of Gladstone, and from our research decided to stay there, as Gladstone itself is very industrial. It turned out to be good advice, as the Caravan Park, The Tannum Sands Top Tourist Park, was right opposite the beach, with great walking tracks and cycleways, and excellent shopping facilities nearby. The only drawback was the bloody sand flies, which got John's legs looking like the join the dots puzzle again in no time. We made great use of the cycleways, and especially enjoyed a dirt cycleway to Wild Cattle Point, all along the inlet, next to the park. Oh! we should also add that phone and wireless Internet connection, were non existent!

Feeding time for the kookaburra.

Kangaroos in for a feed.

The bird life and wildlife within the caravan park was also fantastic. Each day we fed a variety of Kookaburras and other birds, and the kangaroos were very tame, grazing right up to the caravan sites.

Gladstone is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia, all being driven by the mining boom, and the latest energy product, LNG (Liquified Natural Gas). We were gob smacked by the extent of works in and around Gladstone. Everywhere you look, are young men and women dressed in their dark blue and yellow flouro work wear. One wag joked that if you aren't wearing flouro, you are either retired or unemployable!

Curtis Island Ferry Harbour Cruise

We took a Harbour Cruise on the Curtis Island Ferry barge, which takes place only on Wednesdays, and is a fantastic way to get to understand what is happening with industry around Gladstone. It is without doubt, one of the best value and informative tours we have done. $18.00 for Seniors, and it included a good morning tea, and lasted 2 and a half hours.

Bauxite Processing Plant Gladstone.

First we sailed past the bulk loader, loading a ship with the fine white marble product, that is used as a filler in the cosmetics industry. Then past the Grain loader, filling the holds of another ship  with wheat. From there we sailed past the first of the two bulk coal loaders, busily loading a ship with 150,000 tonnes. This is the smaller of the two coal loading facilities. Then further around the harbour past the huge mounds of red bauxite at the world's largest bauxite processing plant, where alumina is produced to feed the world's demand for aluminium. In the distance is the Boyne Island Aluminium Smelter, the largest in Australia, where the alumina is turned into aluminium, both for the local and export markets. The volumes being moved, are mind boggling, but it is the scope of the LNG projects currently under construction, that really set your head spinning. Each of the 4 projects will generate export dollars in the tens of billions, and the work that needs to be done to build harbour facilities for the LNG Super Tankers that will carry the gas, is just as impressive, especially in light of the fact, that all the work is being done by barge, as it is on an island!

The coal loader at Gladstone

Finally, we come back past the big coal loader, where 3 huge ships are each being loaded simultaneously with 150 to 160,000 tonnes of coal. The coal which comes in from the vast coalfields west of Gladstone by train, is stockpiled next to the wharf. It is usually at around 3 million tonnes, but is down around 1.5 million, due to still catching up from the floods earlier this year. The trains themselves are enormous, with over 100 cars being pulled by 2 locomotives at the front, and another 1 or 2 in the centre of the cars. When you come across one beside the road, they seem to go on forever.

With all the heavy industry going on, it is easy to forget that Gladstone is a gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Heron Island is only a 2 hour fast ferry ride away. This is a unique Eco resort, famous for its marine and bird life.

Speaking of marine life, the area is also a major fishing centre, both recreational and commercial. All those wonderful reef fish, such as coral trout, sweetlip, and cod, are caught for the local, and export markets. In fact there is a live fish export operation from Gladstone, to Asian markets, where fish like coral trout are a sought after delicacy. And whilst on the subject of delicacies, this is the home of the iconic Queensland mud crab. The area is teeming with mangrove estuaries, ideal for the "muddy". We found a fish market, and bought the biggest guy we could. He was caught and cooked the day before, and weighed in at 1.5kgs, so we had him cleaned and cracked, headed back to camp where Carol made our favourite mango and walnut salad, covered ourselves with bibs, surrounded ourselves with napkins, cracked a cold bottle of sauvignan blanc, got out the jar of locally made lime aioli, and let the carnage begin!! I'm telling you that if this had been served at the Last Supper, it wouldn't have been their last!!   

So our stay in the area has been most interesting. We can really see why our economy is going so well. The new houses and new cars, the new shopping centres and great infrastructure, are all testimony to this booming area. The mining companies pour millions back into the community, with sporting fields, picnic areas and the beaches, all in wonderful condition. The Tondoon Botanic Gardens are another excellent example. We took a look around these gardens, which place a strong emphasis on the areas rain forests and native orchids.

On our final day we fitted in a round of golf at the Tannum Sands/Boyne Island Country Club, which was very pleasant indeed. We almost had the course to ourselves, the only way to play! We finished up with light lunch at Lilac Lily's, a nice little cafe high on the hill above our caravan park, with a wonderful view out over the harbour, the islands, and the dozens of waiting ore carriers. 

We left Tannum Sands in the sunshine! A stay with no rain at last. On to Mackay.

Golden Beach and Family

Well Bloggees, my apologies for the tardiness with updates. Our schedule has been so hectic, and in recent times we have found our broadband connection appalling, so we have fallen behind. So here we go............

A sisterly moment over tea and cake

We arrived at Golden Beach in the rain and wind, putting to end the record run of fine warm weather! Yes, the drought breakers have arrived! We got one of the few big sites at the caravan park, and hastily set up. There was little time to waste, as being on the Sunshine Coast, always means a hectic schedule. As most are aware, Carol's sister Chris lives at Palmwoods with hubby Keith and youngest son Kyle, so it is family catch up time. This time we had added to the mix, a visit from our niece Jillian, who was holidaying in the area, and moved to Golden Beach to share our first family week. As an avid shopper and foodie, she blended seamlessly into the group!

After the quick setup, it was off to the Embreys for a welcome feast, and as usual it was great. You see, Chris and Kyle are wonderful in the kitchen, and every meal is an event, from Pre-dinner to dessert and even afters. Carol always puts in her order for Blitz Torte, and as usual, the order is filled, and it is delicious, with just enough left over for Carol to take home for those rare moments in our stay, when other food isn't available.

The weeks events continued on Monday with a dinner at a local Italian, to welcome Jillian into town. Tuesday, was Trivia Night at the Buderim Hotel. Kyle had suggested this as a bit of fun, and boy was he right. Keith came armed with discount vouchers for Dinner, and would you believe we won the night and a $50.00 voucher to spend at the hotel! Looks like so far, the brain cells are still OK!

Wednesday, there was a minor tragedy, with the Eumundi Market Day cancelled due to bad weather, but this was quickly retrieved by the girls, who decided Thursday would be a Buderim shopping day, where there would be no cancellations due to bad weather! Keith & John decided that golf would be a  more relaxing way to spend the day, so planned for around at Cooroy Golf Club, weather permitting. After a quiet day, we all met up back at the Embreys for another great dinner. 

Thursday went to plan as the weather gods were kind, and we finished off with a nice Thai Dinner at Jillian's resort, as first thing Friday, Jillian was heading home, after a fun few days.

The weekend started with a wet trip to Eumundi Markets! Nothing was going to stop us this time! The good thing was that the rain kept the big crowds away, so it was quite leisurely, if not a bit damp, and we escaped without too much damage to the money tree. Another great dinner capped off the day. Sunday we all headed down to Maroochydore's Sunshine Plaza, for a Sushi Train lunch, which was a lot of fun.

The Pizza Truck

Monday was a quiet day, as John had booked the car for service. Chris and Carol headed off to Cotton Tree for a little sisterly time. That night we planned on a quiet night back at the caravan park, but as we drove in we were taken by the sign that said "Wood fired Pizza Tonight". We investigated, and found almost everyone in the park was tucking into pizza! www.thepizzatruck.com.au was at the park for two nights. What a fantastic idea! These guys designed and built this truck, and are living the dream, travelling Australia, and paying their way as they go. They tow a Jayco camper trailer behind the truck, and as well as serving up dinner to caravan park patrons, they do local shows and events. Whilst most of the park patrons did take away, we decided to "eat out" at the tables provided, so with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc in hand we enjoyed a great night out.

Tuesday, we were back to defend our Trivia title at the Buderim Hotel, armed with our $50.00 voucher. So another cheap night out was had, and yes we kicked their butts again! Those Buderim folks will be glad to see the back of us! Another voucher, this time $45.00, we could go on the circuit! But with Carol and John moving on Monday, Chris, Keith and Kyle were last seen scouring the district, looking for brainiacs, to bolster the team for a hat trick performance!

Wednesday was another Golf day for the boys and sisterly time for the girls, with more great dinners, desserts and slices thrown in. Our freezer is stocked!

John & Carol with Jersey

Friday was a treat for us. We found out that Darren (nephew), with wife Erin and new daughter Jersey, were coming to Brisbane from Emerald for the day. Little Jersey was born in March, and was born deaf in one ear. She was coming to see the specialist to have a hearing aid fitted. As a surprise, we all drove down to Brisbane to meet up with them. They got a real surprise to see us, and we got to see little Jersey for the first time. As the picture shows, she is a real cutie! That smile never left her face all day. We headed back home and enjoyed a Pizza Night watching the footy.

The week was nearing the end. John decided to play golf in the Caloundra comp on the Saturday, and Carol had a tidy up day, confidently swapping over her wardrobe in favour of mostly summer things, as even though we had quite a bit of rain, it was still warm. That night we all headed out to an Indian Restaurant, to give the Embreys a rest from cooking. The Curry Bowl at Kawana, was excellent, and doing a roaring trade.

Sunday was our last day, and was also Father's Day, so we invited everyone down to our place for a good old sausage sizzle, and a couple of drinks. We had a lovely afternoon, that ended a really lovely couple weeks of catching up. Carol doesn't get a lot of time with her family, so this quality time was very enjoyable for all. It was so good, we will be back to do it all again for Christmas, so start cooking!

Oh Yes, we woke up Monday morning to pelting rain, and again got soaked as we hooked up and headed up the coast for Tannum Sands. Where? I hear you saying...