TOD Tour, Day 58 - A Cruise & A Sunset

The Bundy Belle

Two wonderful activities today. I'm late to writing and needing bed because we have a longer than normal drive for the next two days after changing our plans and deciding to head west to Carnarvon Gorge.

This morning we went for a two and a half hour cruise on the Burnett River, from Bundaberg to Burnett Heads, aboard the Bundy Belle. She is a converted river ferry which has been operated by husband and wife team Darren and Lisa Lockley since 2009. In 2013, they almost lost the "Belle" during the largest flood in the history of the Burnett River, when their pontoon washed away. Darren swam out to the Belle and drove her back up river against the flood water and tied her to a huge river gum to wait out the flood.

The Belle was the only boat that was in the river that day which wasn't washed out to sea or left wrecked on the banks downstream by a river travelling at 80kms/hr.

Operating from a new pontoon at Grunske's by the River, they conduct a variety of cruises. Ours started at 10:00am and was full of informative stories and funny anecdotes from skipper Darren.

There was the tale of the slave trade which operated out of Bundaberg at the turn of the last century, when Pacific islanders - principally from the Solomon Islands - known as Kanakas, were tricked to leave their homes and then sold from the wharf at the Fairymead Mill into slavery with local farmers. They built many of the walls which trained the Burnett to run narrower and deeper and therefore keeping the channel open for the trading ships to reach the then port at Bundaberg itself. They built these by hand, rock by rock, as they did many other labour intensive tasks such as the cutting of sugar cane. The trade only came to an end after Federation.

A 44 foot motor cruiser wrecked and
stranded on sacred ground on Paddy's Island

Local aboriginal clans suffered under white men too. In 1849, after the deaths of two young brothers who were herding sheep and the son of Gregory Blaxland who discovered the passage over the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, a company of men were sent out to exercise a punitive action against local aboriginals. They were chased onto Paddy's Island, which lies on the Burnett, east of Bundaberg and it is estimated than more than 1000 men, women and children of the Taribelang clan were murdered in the action. Paddy's island was eventually given to local aboriginal people more than ninety years later and is considered a sacred site.

The Bundaberg Sugar Company operates a huge mill and refining factory on the banks of the Burnett. It is one of only two companies in the world who grow, mill, refine and export their product in t he same area. They are owned by a Belgian parent company.

Of course, no tour of the Burnett or of Bundaberg for that matter, would be complete without a mention of Bundaberg Rum. The distillery only came into being when the local sugar producers were looking for something to do with the molasses which is left over from production and latched onto the idea of distilling rum. In 1939, a lightning strike ignited more than a billion litres of rum in 63 large vats and in an effort to save the distillery, the drums were punctured to allow the rum to escape to the river, where locals were busy capturing that which wasn't on fire in pails. The river burned with a blue flame for days after the fire had been extinguished in the factory and fish could be scooped, stultified from the river for weeks afterwards. The big white polar bear is owned offshore too.

"The Skipper was a sailing man ..."
well ...

All along the Burnett, rocks of rich volcanic origin are clearly evident. Their source, a cinder volcano now called The Hummock, can be seen to the south as you cruise along. Bundaberg has recorded the most earthquakes in Queensland's recorded history with twenty in the last ten years, as it lies directly on a fault line.

As we came up upon the Bundaberg Sailing Club in the lower reaches of the Burnett, we observed several small sailing craft of the Access 303 program, which takes disabled people and teaches them sailing. The program is staffed by volunteers from the Sailing Club.

Apart from the huge sugar loader down in an area called Bundaberg Port which is close to the river mouth, the only other building of note apart from those with rich waterfront addresses was the old lighthouse. It has been replaced these days by an automatic light which uses only a 50watt tungsten globe to reach more than 13kms out to sea. The sugar loader has fallen on hard times. Before the 2013 flood, $37 million worth of sugar was exported each year from the loader. That has dwindled to nothing as, as the river is now too shallow to allow the export boats safe passage. The building is now used for naval cadets.

At $25, this was a cheap morning in consideration of the sheer weight of information shared, let alone the scenery. Sue even spent twenty minutes in the wheel house steering us home!

We lunched beside the Burnett between the bridges and then drove north to the Town of 1770, where, after a swim at our accommodation, we went down to the bay and saw one of the most sensational sunsets my eyes have witnessed in 58 years.

Sunset at 1770

A Little Further North - Exploring 1770

Bustard Bay, 1770

A full day, bright sunshine, 26C and not a cloud to be seen were the parameters within which we explored the Town of 1770 today. Under such tough conditions, we persevered and succeed in having a fine day.

Our caravan park is located at 1770 itself, which is closer to the southern headland to Bustard Bay, known as Round Hill. The township is really two small villages - Agnes Waters and 1770 - separated by a couple of hundred metres of the Captain Cook Drive.

Our first calling point this morning was the short few kilometres to the end of Captain Cook Drive where the housing runs out and the national parks have established a new carpark and lookout. Ironically, the view from the carpark is probably better than from the lookout but both revealed a very pretty place. I can easily imagine why ex Tambar people, the Husseys, chose to come to 1770. Believe me, there is no comparison between Tambar and 1770 which would even remotely give the north western pimple on the backside of society the edge over this little jewel. Blue green seas, lovely beaches, green green green tropical vegetation.

Mind you, its clear that the 1770 we were looking at today has changed dramatically in the last ten years. Like coastal places right around Australia, especially those with such rich visual assets, the developers have moved in and resorts are festering the landscape. Its a shame, because the locals might reap some financial benefit but the reason why they lived here is gradually submerging under the imagination of architects and the filthy lucre of businessmen.

1770 marks the second landing on Australian soil by The Navigator, Lt James Cook. He anchored in the bay, made observations, allowed Banks and Solander to go ashore and catalogue the flora and fauna and even shoot a bustard which made the evening dinner table, most likely only for officers and gentlemen. Matthew Flinders visited thirty two years later in Investigator and mapped the area with great accuracy.

At the Agnes Waters end, Daniel Clowes operated on a lease which occupied 12 square miles, running cattle down as far as the current surf beach. His was the first lease taken up at Agnes Water and it was Clowes who named it, for his daughter Agnes. Clowes first wife, Rachel, died and was buried on the property in January, 1885. He gave her a substantial gravestone for the time. Clowes remarried but when he died in May of 1991, his instruction was to be buried beside Rachel. Perhaps this wasn't taken well by the second wife, as the graves, which remain today in the small park behind the surf beach, show Rachel's fine masonry headstone, standing all of five feet high and beside it, an unmarked, crude wooden cross. Hell hath no fury they say ...

As an indication of the pace of development here, the surf club was only formed in 1989, largely using discarded equipment from other club and worked out of an old shipping container. Recently it has opened a new licenced premises at 1770, whilst it original shed remains at the beach at Agnes Water, still serving the purpose of being an active station from which the club can assure the safety of swimmers.

After the lookout, we stopped in for coffee at The Tree, which was originally a corner shop and sly grog shop. It is now a completely rebuilt cafe and licenced premises, with decking reminiscent of the decks of a ship and everything furnished in oiled wood and corrugated iron. The coffee was good and we followed it with a walk along the foreshore development which has been done with great taste by the local council. Gardens and decking walkways and well appointed shelter sheds for family bbq's stretch along a lengthy piece of the foreshore.

Sunset, 1770

We drove back to the opposite end of the settlement and took some photos at the beach at Agnes Water. As this place has now become a must for backpackers, accents thick in German, French, English curried the air. We dined on greasy fish and chips - a mistake we would both pay a price for.

After lunch, the local museum proved very interesting. It had been started and build 70 years ago by Arthur Jeffery, whose brother the park on what had been Clowes land - behind the beach and where he held hands into eternity with his first wife - had been name after. Arthur was a man with a bent for history, particularly objects from history and hist original timber museum forms part of the current building complex. As is usual with local museum, it was a hotchpotch of items, some of them totally irrelevant but never the less interesting. The written histories - one of which we purchased - are however most intriguing and often reveal the skeletons which rattle in small town cupboards.

Considering the entry price ($3), this was extra good value.

Sue took to the surf on a secluded part of the beach because there is still a little bit of wild thing in her which must be encouraged lest her dotage contain regrets. I envy her freedom and sometime wish I might ignore Peter's Little Helpers and live with such freedom as earlier years gifted me. This is, of course, foolishness or desire or both, because on balance, my more measured life is both safer and more fulfilling. Just sometimes, such as she splashed about this afternoon, yearning visits again to test my resolve but I won't let down those that look to me for example - however sideways their glances. Love makes this constraint an easy one to comply with.

Our daylight hours finished with a swim in the saltwater pool at the caravan park and then a rapt

TODAY'S PHOTOS

watching of the sunset over Bustard Bay - named by Cook to honour a delicious meal. Thank goodness the French weren't first to Australia. Can you imagine Cocq-a-vin Bay?

The sunset was red and purple and yellow and gorgeous. I'm sorry you missed but I'm glad you weren't here. That's Sue's job.

A Little Further North to 1770

An early start and a quick finish - travelled from Burnett Heads to 1770 in under two hours.

Went for a drive to one of the surf clubs and the inlet to the north. Very pretty.

Back to the camp to set up by lunch and then off to Agnes Water for Sue to have a swim after lunch. I hate the beach which is a bit of a problem as it is Sue's favourite environment. Had a nice coffee and I caught up with changes afoot at my cricket club in Tamworth, whilst Sue explored the information centre.

Dragons Premiers 2010

The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to those wonderful Dragons, who won their first premiership for 31 years. My boys have finally experienced what it feels like to follow the Premiers. Great game, especially the second half where the Roosters were blotted out by fabulous attacking football in wet-weather conditions.

More usual activities tomorrow when the tour guide has activities planned to show us the best of 1770. Our overnight stop has already become two nights and may well become three.