Townsville to Kinka Beach

Starts don't come much earlier than today with the alarm tolling at 4:15am in order that I could have Sue at the airport for check in at 5:00am.

We went through the usual airport things including the obligatory security check. Top points to the Townsville security officers who accepted my absent mindedness in still having my knife on my belt when I presented. A lovely lady there took my offered knife and kept it in a safe place until my return. We had very little time to wait, as Sue, wheelchair bound, was first loaded on the plane and there was no time for emotional farewells, a short peck having to suffice for us both until the weekend. Sue, managing her pain and preoccupied didn't look back or perform and final wistful wave and I was left standing among strangers who just stared and waited as though there should be a postscript to the parting. I turned, fighting the first pangs which would stab me all day, collected my knife and headed for the hills ... literally, Castle Hill, a Townsville landmark which lies between the centre of town and the well healed shoreline.

Like most mornings, in a scene reminiscent of Uluru, the steep road which ascends Castle Hill is a hive of activity as people of all ages and readiness for heart attack, walk, run or stagger to the top of this 286 metre high pink granite monolith. The derivation of its name is no surprise as it looks for all the world the type of landform which would have been fortified in medieval times. As to the fixation with "conquering" the climb I am loath to offer the excuse "because it is there" as it holds no logic because the flat and go on forever Ingham Rd is there too and presumably also needs conquering but I saw no sweat jockeys there.

As I am nursing a damaged knee and for reasons of not being a complete idiot, I was content to weave in and out of people in various stages of apoplexy as I showed them how the ascent is done ... in my Forester. Some even bothered to give me dirty looks.

As I reached the summit, the sun was managing its first greeting on a cliff face of Mt Stuart, behind Townsville and beginning to light the surface of the Ross River. I was able to watch the take off of Sue's plane. I waved and blew kisses but Sue just seemed to ignore me, too intent on the imminent serving of breakfast and the movie full of tall guys that was just starting ... or perhaps the pain.

After stepping over several folks making resolutions and Labradors who wished for blind owners, I must admit that the sight of a guy pedalling his adapted road bike into the car park at the top of Castle Hill with one leg and the other, a titanium stick strapped to the side of the bike made me glad I gave up smoking and pleased I take the little pills to stop me being that determined. I got to wondering if he had back pedal brakes for the return trip.

The plan was that I was to break camp, leave the trailer with Jim & Judy Parsons for the day and follow my wife's instructions and go sightseeing. I did something very close to that plan. I packed up the car and trailer and hit the road.

The first stop was Airlie Beach, which appears to be for the beautiful people and the ugly rich. It certainly is beautiful with that postcard turquoise blue water, white sand, coconut trees lining the beaches and every shade of green imaginable, include those passing through who were subject to envy. There is even an inlet which runs into the town where you can feed the fish and watch the string rays.

I somehow managed to snag a park where no trailer parks existed, right at the beach and ate lunch and wrote some poetry, sharing a park bench with a friendly lass who claimed to be a major in literature and thought I was brilliant. A young couple nearby seemed to be undergoing some form of training for sucba diving, as they locked mouths for fifteen to twenty minutes at a time without requiring breath ... either that or the braces on their teeth were locked together, which might explain the way their heads were turning vigorously from side to side. I took lots of photos of the place to show Sue. Think Byron, think Cable Beach and then think prettier and you have the picture.

The rest of the afternoon was spent driving, as I was keen to get a long leg out of the way on the first day. The highlight was driving behind Skooby Doo ... which only reminded me of my girl again.

Sunset at Emu Park

I stopped occasionally for fuel or photos and eventually arrived at Kinka Beach about 6:30pm. I came back here because it was a place Sue loved. I had a rather nice pasta at the pub at Emu Park and was ready to head back to the digs when I spied a big, fat, red moon just peeking over Great Keppel Island so I drove up to the Singing Ship and soaked it all in and attempted to capture it with the cameras. This scene made sure I finished the day where I started it, missing Sue.

TODAY'S PHOTOS

Meanwhile Sue was back in Tamworth by mid afternoon, looked after mid journey by Sarah at Sydney airport and once she was home by a friend - Robyn Crosby - and then tonight by Chris and Sam. She's surrounded by people who will look after her.

I worked on some poems and snuggled into my empty bed.

A Liitle Further North to The Caves

Our day started with a quick return to Emu Park where I grabbed some Ventolin puffers (the humidity was starting to tell on my breathing) and also spent a few minutes mobilising the Brisbane chapter of the Waratahs Mafia to support a mate who has unfortunately entered his last months. Meanwhile, Sue had a lovely chat with an old gentleman who shared his life story. Believe it or not, we both cherish such encounters.

The drive to Yeppoon was via the Capricorn Beaches loop and what wonderful sights we saw. Small beaches which looped between points dominated by tall bluffs, crystal water breaking on the shore and big lumps of islands, some close enough for a young man to row to. It was almost surreal.

Morning tea was taken by a small water inlet on the southern edge of Yeppoon, where road signage asked drivers to be cautious of Osprey chick who were learning to fly. Somewhat different to the "cattle ahead" signs we have become accustomed to in north western NSW.

After morning tea, we drove north to Byfield - an extremely small village consisting principally of a shop/cafe/post office/petrol station and a state school and also the home of Nob Creek Pottery. Established in 1979 when Stephen Bishopric and Sue McBurnie purchased the property and ran it as an orchard for seven years whilst the pottery business was established. This involved selling at market days and establishing the brand through astute use of the media and placement of information in tourist information centres and accommodation outlets.

Nob Creek Pottery

Nob Creek Pottery now sells the product of potters from all over Australia (many of whom we have met in our travels) and also potters from Asia. We met and talked with their son and watched him finish some handles on casseroles and found out about a new stonewear clay - well, new for Sue. There were many things we desired but we settled fairly quickly on an eye catching set of wine goblets made in Korea by slip casting from Steve's original shape. They have a black exterior with a plain fern motif and a red interior. Just exquisite. We had them shipped to home.

Lunch was a the Byfield entertainment and fuel enhancement centre and then we went back to Yeppoon for groceries. What an easy task it is to locate Woollies with an Internet connection on my mobile phone and the GPS.

With the larder restocked, we drove inland for The Capricorn Caves. Located just 29 kilometres north of Rockampton, and just a short detour off the Bruce Highway, The Caves is an ideal tourist destination with its attached caravan park. Discovered by by John Olsen in 1882 when the land was otherwise spoken for, he kept returning and exploring the caves until he was able to purchase the land. Requiring an approval by the Dept of Lands before he could seal the purchase, he bought the lands inspector to the location on a "stinking hot day" and led him this way and that until he was about to show him the caves. Exhausted, the inspector approved the purchase rather than see any more on the day!

The Olsen family then held The Caves as a private enterprise for four generations before finally selling the property to a school teacher who has developed programs for schools. The main tour of the Cathedral Cave is a leisurely stroll through a largely above ground - above ground in that you don't descend far below the level of the entry point - very airy and all of the spaces are comfortable to be in if smallness of space can be a problem for you. Our guide, Jan, was most interesting with lots of history and geology at her fingertips. I've seen more spectacular limestone cave effects in other caves - Margaret River Caves for instance - but this was a very enjoyable experience. Weddings are conducted regularly in the Cathedral Cave, part of the tour we experience. It has outstanding acoustic qualities and whilst Jan sought to entertain us with Enya, I would have preferred Chris Langston supported by brother Sam on bass and Jimi Craz on lead. Other caving experiences include a geological cave experience and an adventure cave experience, very popular with school children.

TODAY'S PHOTOS

We pitched home in the attached caravan park and settled in for a few red wines to the sound of biscuits breaking around cheese.

1770 to Kinka Beach

Getting tropical

Our second night at 1770 was mild and pleasant and we slept peacefully. As usual, we sauntered through our pack up and we were leaving the caravan park just as two blue-winged kookaburra were attending to the morning bathing in the park's pool. Sue snapped some nice shots as they preened and splashed.

Just like any other couple on the road, we had to attend to refills of our medications which was done at Agnes Water. I added some Ear Clear to remove a build up of ear wax which has been a problem for my big ears since I was a lad. Swimming always makes it worse and the dip yesterday afternoon was the culprit.

We pushed north after joining the Bruce Highway at Miriam Vale and stopped soon after for morning tea at Bororen, picking up a humorous photograph into the bargain.

From here it was a straight run to Rockhampton, where we stopped at the Tropic of Capricorn, reminiscing a similar stop when we were on the other side of Australia in 2008. Sue added another photo of me acting up for the camera - hardly any of them in the family photo collection - and then went into the adjacent information office to unpack some thoughts of how we should spend the afternoon.

Mt Archer Lookout

After had lunch there and stowing the trailer, we went east to Mt Archer, the most prominent of the volcanic plugs which act as sentinels for Rochampton. The drive took a tad longer than it was suggested but the climb made me very glad to have taken the advice of a bloke at the information centre and not attempt it with the camper trailer. It was steep and done mostly in third gear but I enjoyed the actual driving. The summit is swamped with trees and ferns so we walked the short round trip distance of just under a kilometre to see the view over Rockhampton and further on, the view out to Yeppoon. It was a hazy day but it was still an impressive view.

Rockhampton is much bigger than I had expected and the view from Mt Archer was my confirmation but at around 100 000, I shouldn't have been surprised. It takes a long time to drive across the city and the street pattern seems odd , with streets off the main drag in a diamond shaped pattern. After taking in the view, we had a delicious coffee because would you believe, they have a cafe up there. How it makes it's trade is hard to imagine but our thoughts were much to the short term.

After taking the descent in a control second gear, we went across town to a site beside the swollen Fitzroy River where the Rockhampton Art Gallery is. We only saw a limited exhibition as they were in the process of setting up the Qld version of ArtExpress - the best of the Year 12 HSC Art students submitted pieces for assessment. What were saw was impressive, particularly as it was displayed using a thematic approach which allowed responses in a variety of medium so that canvasses were displayed along side ceramics or other media. Several "big names" were on display but it was mostly people we didn't know which caught our attention. I particularly liked a short film on the indigenous artists of the Kimberley region.

The Singing Ship

After returning to the information centre and reconnecting with our little home, we set out for Kinka Beach - part of the Capricorn Beaches Scenic Drive. Our only stop - another was planned but I missed the turn off - was at Emu Park, where we visited the exquisite Singing Ship. This is a sculpture installed on the point above Emu Park in 1970, as part of the Captain Cook bicentenary celebrations. It is a large sail shaped sculpture and on the inside of the sail, chimes have been placed to catch the wind. Even the slightest breezes sliding between these shapes will produced a sound not unlike singing. It was humming when were there. From here we caught our first glimpse of the Keppel islands, all too obvious from our vantage point.
Archer for

We travelled the last few kilometres to our lodgings for the night and were greeted by easily the most accommodating hosts so far on our journey north.

Our portable hut set up, we took advantage of the $10 meals available on Chewsday at the Pine Beach Hotel in Emu Park. The tucker was great, the cold beers I had hit the spot and the view until the sun left was inspiring. Dad rang to catch up and offer some advice on the immediate distances ahead.

We returned to our digs and before settling in for the night, took a torch supported walk down to what appears to be a very wide and shallow angled beach. With no moon, it was dark when the torch went out and Sue was prepared to call every hideous shape an approaching saltwater crocodile. We saw our first live cane toad and then were serenaded by them as we walked back off the beach. For good measure, Sue was obstructed from entering the camp kitchen by two robust specimens at the door. She is seeing and hearing them everywhere now.

TODAY'S PHOTOS

We missed the chance to take a cruise to Great Keppel on a large catamaran (not large enough was my thinking) as the numbers filled before we could decide. We might wander up to the wharf precinct in the morning and see what we can find.