Blowin in Bowen. What an apt title for this weeks’ update from your ‘Grey Nomads’ Trevor and Julie.
In our last post I concluded: Where to next – Which way is the wind blowing? Well we got that right – we retraced our steps back to Bowen tempted by our previous short stay here with big fish screaming off the real. You got it right – last count was Fish 5 – Trevor and Julie 0. Not a fish and only a day left to reverse the trend – not likely says me. We did ensure that the stay wasn’t totally devoid of risk by running straight into Cyclone Hadi. So what do you do in a Caravan in an aptly named town Bowen when you are in lock down – referred to as ‘Blowin in Bowen’ – you fish – no fish – you read books like Julie (3 of them) or you get your toys out like Trevor (3 of them) and begin to create a web site and catch up on social media and BYOD technologies which do it for me and set up a weekly paper – will make it daily soon but sounds too hard for the moment.
MACKAY QLD. Another great week in North Queensland – 3 totally different experiences.
Cape Hillsborough provided us with a perfect haven – being nature lovers we had opportunities to see 100’s of butterflies while taking bush walks, watch kookaburras and wild budgies next to the van, dismiss bush turkeys, view kangaroos feeding on the beach at sunrise, watch 1000′s of sand blasta crabs weave their marvel, fish, again unsuccessfully, bird watch and beachcomb.
Relaxing – you bet Further down the valley, within Eungella National Park was Finch Hatton our base while visiting the park. The Gorge at Finch Hatton has a waterfall renowned for flowing all year round, and fresh-water swimming holes, combine that with walking tracks, Finch Hatton is one of the most popular spots in the Pioneer Valley. We stayed at the Showground which is rated as one the most picturesque in Australia. The Pinnacle Hotel is located in the Pioneer Valley have been famous for their “Pinnacle Pies” for a number of years. Outback we go.. We made the collective decision – head west rather than to the coast and after a week it still appears a good decision.
Although very quiet with few travellers due to the weather the temperatures have been relatively mild – high 30’s nothing more. So we pulled out of the cool of Armidale and ended up in Moree for a couple of days. Moree is recognised nationally as Australia’s Artesian Spa Capital. Despite the rise in temperature we took refuge in the artesian baths at the caravan park. Five of them in fact – each with a different temperature rating freezing, 34, 35, 37 or 39 – we tended to stick to 34/35. From Moree we headed further west to the quirky opal town of Lightning Ridge. The highlight was a trip to the Grawin Opal fields, a 100k plus round trip where we went to three pubs in a matter of kilometers.
The last couple of days we have literally spent at the back of Bourke. Trevor Galbraith. Moree Artesian Baths. The Fraser Coast. The Fraser Coast – ‘well worth a visit’ Queensland is one of those places where the weather determines the outcome of a day.
After leaving the record rainfall in Yeppoon we spent 10 days on the Fraser Coast, the weather returned in favour of the tourists and we have now been shacked up in Noosa for 4/5 days with very pleasant weather. One has learnt that the weather changes in a matter of hours – before I had finished this post the rain has returned. The Town of 1770 / Agnes WatersPleasant memories of beer and wine at sunset, strolling along a lovely long beach at Agnes Waters – where the water was a magnificent arrangement of blues and greens, very coarse sand (not like Scarborough) that tore away at your toes, strong under currents and rips and a patrolled and flagged swimming area the size of a local council pool.
Lots of the Juicy Vans, Hippie Trucks and Wicked Machines here – so cool for the young ones. A great place for a few days just to chill – oriented towards the tourist.