After leaving the delightful Crocodile Dundee pub in McKinlay, I kept heading west. I was SO tempted to keep going and not turn east when I reached Cloncurry but I had promised Maggie that I would take her to the beach (beach = ball games = happiness) and there were things to do back in Brisbane. So I savoured my last taste of the outback before I headed to the bedlam that is the Queensland coast.
At a roadside stop, I got chatting to a couple who were driving a road train hauling cotton bales from Katherine! They were a bit concerned because one of the 4 tonne bales had slipped (the plastic wrapping made this possible) and they were trying to secure it. Annie (who seemed to be the boss) told me that it took the truck 5 kilometres to get up to maximum speed and 2 kilometres to stop! She said they could do it quicker but that they would wreck the brakes. They were halfway through a 3500 kilometres trip. What a job! It made me a lot more careful (and forgiving) of any big road trains I met.
Cloncurry, Julia Creek, Richmond and Torrens Creek was my route to the coast. And it seemed that it was the route for hundreds, no! thousands of caravans, motorhomes and camper trailers. Oh, why didn't I keep going west!?! Everyone was heading to the coast and, unlike me, they had bookings for weeks! For months! I'd managed to beg a couple of nights in a few different places ... most parks had laughed at me when I tried to get a site but I had persevered.
The scenery as I headed east was still arid and rocky but the bush was bursting with colour, in particular a stunning grevillea that lined the roads. At one of my stops, I saw a vision of a sad future ... an old woman got out of an old battered van, dressed in fluffy pyjama bottoms and she started investigating the bin. It was an incredibly sad sight. I waved and was going to invite her over for a cup of tea but she scurried back into the van and drove off. "Nomadland" in Queensland.
Eventually, we reached the coast and the lovely town of Bowen. Maggie was happy! There was a beautiful beach just a hop, skip and a jump away and I had a lovely little site nestled amongst the huge boulders. But let's just pause for a while and talk about grey nomads, the Queensland coast and happy hour. I was going to call this post "You're SO Brave!" because everyone (and I do mean everyone!) said that to me. "Are you travelling alone? Oh! You're SO brave!" When they weren't staring in frank amazement that I hadn't been murdered yet, they were inviting me to happy hour. I went to a couple but really couldn't stand it ... "This is Anthea from Victoria - she's SO brave!" ... because these people aren't travelling. They are staying put for months and they all know one another (probably from previous years) and they sit in a circle, get drunk and quiz you about being brave. When I'm invited now, I smile (bravely) but inform them that I must walk the dog before it gets dark (and dangerous).
I did some lovely walks around Bowen, mainly up around the headlands, with views towards the Whitsundays and along the coast. It was hot work with the sun bouncing off the white rocks and the steep paths climbing and climbing. So in one little bay, I took off my boots and just waded in to the lovely clear and azure water. My one and only swim!
My next coastal stop was a place called Bucasia Beach but I had a day to spare so decided to go to Finch Hatton. Apart from sounding like it should be in an episode of Midsomer Murders, Finch Hatton boasts a beautiful gorge, a great camp at the showgrounds and more sugar cane tracks and trains than I've seen before. All in a gorgeous valley, surrounded by towering, misty mountains. I walked the walks, visited a really interesting craft shop in Pinnacle and found a roadside stall that sold the most ENORMOUS passionfruit.
The walk up to the Araluen Cascades was all ferns and palms, vibrant greens and damp browns. The mosquitoes were enormous but the birds were a delight. I saw a family of rufous fantails but they were too fast for the camera. On the way back to Finch Hatten, I stopped to visit Felix the bull who is very affectionate and nice but is quite useless. He doesn't like cows and has stepped on his pizzle and broken it. But he is quite cute!
Bucasia Beach is a delight! I would like to live here (well, for half the year anyway) but there's not a chance that I could afford anything! The beach is beautiful and long, with a shallow gradient and tides that recede for tens of metres. Next to the beach is a beautifully kept parkland with lots of big shady trees, picnic tables and ... and it's off-lead!!!! So apart from the mosquitoes (thousands), the box jellyfish (summer-time) and the ticks, it's paradise!
So now I'm in Emu Park, near Yeppoon. This park has cost the most of any place I've stayed and it's been a waste since it has rained most of today. The things you do to keep your dog happy! So I'm off tomorrow ... south and west. I want to get back a bit inland because I'm over this coast thing. There's too many people and I'm tired of being told I'm brave. And Maggie has hurt her leg so she's not allowed beaches or balls. So inland it is! Yippee!
What can I add about your grey nomad comments except agree wholeheartedly. That's why we left the coast at Cairns and travelled inland all the way to Victoria last year. PS. Glad I don't have a dog. In more ways than one. You'll have to read our blog to find out about that!!
ReplyDeleteWhat amazing experiences, enjoy the warmer weather it's been freezing here. Buller looks beautiful though. Maggie May will be so grateful for your stint at the beach
ReplyDeletePeople who tell you 'you are so brave' are classic examples of those who have no initiative and no imagination. Their pathetic perspective in limited to what they can see from their camping chairs in caravan parks. They tow huge rigs with their 4wd's and and in so doing doing convert their vehicle from one which could go anywhere to one which can go nowhere but they are are too dumb to realise this. They would not know it if their arses were on fire. Intolerant? Mea culpa.
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