Mackay

Our last day today in Mackay.  I headed off to the hairdressers for some much need love while Rick took the kids down to the beach to farewell the kayakers.  The manager (aged 31) of the park went along too with his dog.  It was quite the send off.  Apparently the guys stayed up til 2AM finishing off their beer so their kayaks would be lighter?  We're thinking these guys are not poster boys for the sport.  One smokes and they obviously enjoy their tipple. I guess it can't be all too serious.  Port on board, they certainly wont go to bed cold or sober. Rick was sad to see them go as he had very much enjoyed their company. So on to the hairdressers.  Think Steel Magnolias.  Or so I thought.  It was at the back of the office of the caravan park.  Now this is a no frills family run park, and its very dated and basic.  The facilities are pretty average and I can't say its a happening place.  So my expectations were very low.  But it was very convenient being virtually next door and I had my recipe from my hairdresser. Well what a fabulous outing it turned out to be.  The hairdresser was hip, great to talk to and we didn't draw breath for nearly 4 hours. She is also the park manager and girlfriend to the guy that farwelled the kayakers with Rick. I emerged looking like a commercial as my hair bounced in the wind on the way home.  So off to the fish market at Slade Point. Cheap and great seafood.  We also bought some more prawns and oysters from the marina and settled in for a picnic down by the beach. The kids played in the playground and we stuffed ourselves silly.  A good long walk along the marina foreshore followed by a scooter race between Max and mummy that ended with a huge stack, by mummy in front of three builders. Not so glamorous anymore. Home for some lovely Red Throat Emperor that the kids scoffed without a word.  A great end to a great stay in Mackay.  We hope we will be back.

Mackay

A slow day today.  We took a walk through the park here at Bucasia after I finally managed to drag Ricky boy away from this two new friends.  The kayakers didn't leave after all, as the wind wasn't right.  They have erected sails on their kayaks to assist with the speed. So we will farewell again tomorrow.  They had to vacate their site to allow newcomers who arrived mid morning.  So they have moved to just in front of us on the lawn.  Rick was happy.  So our new neighbours are grey nomads from Albury, farmers in their late 50's early 60's.  Lovely country folk who's son is working up here in the mines and looking to buy a house in Mackay, so they have come to help search for the week. One of the kayakers is also originally from Wagga, so we feel surrounded by locals. Anyway, after our walk we headed into the much anticipated Wetside park, but would you believe it, it was closed for renovations.  How holy Griswold's is that.  The kids were devastated and the tears came.  No sign to warn us of this yesterday when we were there or we would have trekked home to get their swimmers. So the next best alternative was the "heated" outdoor swimming pool supposedly set to 27 degrees. Yeh right.  Scarletts teeth were chattering and Maxies lips were blue.  They played for as long as they could but the wind was too cold and our trip was over.  The afternoon was spent chasing Rick around BCF (Boating, Camping, Fishing - his new alternative to Bunnings) and the like, and a quick walk through the main street which like Rockhampton has been decimated by the big shopping centres.  Basically there was nothing to look at and I believe they are considering changing the strip into offices. Home finally. The kids are knackered as is there mother.  Dad on the other hand is still outside socialising.  Roast chook on the Weber.  Early to bed tonight.

Mackay

Another stunning day in paradise.  The view from our caravan park is breathtaking, or have I already said that?  I just can't believe how beautiful Mackay is.  I don't remember it like this at all.  There is some serious infrastructure going in, and already established, but more on that later.  So this morning, we did a whip around the northern beaches, being Black Head, Dolphin Beach and Eimeo.  Again beautiful, but windy sadly so we did a brisk walk, play in the sand and obligatory frolic in the playground.  BBQ's everywhere, tracks for bike riding and play areas for kids.  All very inviting. On to the Eimeo pub for lunch and wow, what a view.  Rick was keen for a beer, so before we knew it we were staying for lunch and meeting other patrons including an older couple from Newcastle that said they took three kids the same ages as ours in a combie van across Europe (that got me to thinking) and then another young childless couple from North Parramatta here on holidays after a weekend in Townsville watching the V8 Supercars. He was roasted like a Sunday dinner completed with sunglass suntan and we were very jealous that they were childless as we were ready to kill ours. On to the CBD and a walk through the foreshore, where there's a fantastic wetside water park just like the one in Hervey Bay, although this one has pools and big water slides.  All free and supplied by the council. So that brings me to the development.  Myers are coming and the shopping centre will be massive (there are three big centres across the city).  There are new roads going in everywhere.  The council have built a 19km walking/bike track that snakes all along the river complete with boardwalks, BBQ's, shelters, playgrounds.  Its quite impressive and you can feel the city is thriving and alive.  There's new housing estates everywhere, apartment blocks and smaller shopping centres popping up. On to the main shopping centre for some shoes for Zachie and home via Dan Murphys and the fish markets which were crap.  Tuna pasta for dinner with some serious kick.  Zachie passed out at 6PM so early to bed for some.  The guys next door were packing their kayaks getting ready for a 7AM start.  I am cold just thinking about them.  What an adventure, but talk about hard core.  Rick felt so sorry for them that he offered them a plate of pasta, like it was their last supper, good choco that he is.  But they declined. Brrrr, back to their swags and cold dark night under the stars.

Mackay

Holy cranky pants. Everybody was breathing fire this morning after a crappy night's sleep.  Maxie wet the bed twice last night, the first time just after midnight so Rick didn't get to bed until 1AM and then he woke again at 5AM, wet and cold and needing some love, so no one was going back to sleep in a hurry.  So by 7AM we were up and moving, yelling and grizzling, but on the road by 8AM which is very impressive. On to Mackay and not much to talk about in between.  4 hours of solid driving, we didn't dare breathe a word let along request a pit stop.  A few crappy DVDs and all I got was requests for more food from the back.  Honestly these kids are very demanding. Zachie kept bucking like a bull and talked non stop for the four hour trip, repeating the same words over and over again. Mummy. Mummie. Mummmmie. Mum. Arghhhh. So Mackay itself was nothing to note.  We whizzed through en route to the caravan park, so I will reserve my true judgement until we meet again tomorrow.  As far as caravan parks go, it was limited.  We checked out three parks in town and all were terrible, very much like caravan grave yards.  Because we had the time, we ventured out to Bucasia, 15km north of Mackay and found a lovely spot to settle in for a few days.  Coincidentally they'd had a cancellation in a water front site just this morning.  The site was booked 12 months ago and they just forgot about it apparently.  So here we are and its beautiful, although we nearly didn't take it because we were so worried about sand flies.  There's a tree house that the kids have climbed all day right next to us.  Ducks waddle past, but poop everywhere so that's pretty disgusting. Lorikeets and possums hang out in the trees and are way too friendly for my liking.  There's a lovely big park with playground right next door.  The caravan parks pretty wild but the location is spectacular and our neighbours were fabulous.  A lovely couple (Bradley and Viv) from Russell, New Zealand.  We had a great night with them, our first friends that came over for drinks and a cheese platter when the kids finally went to bed. They are heading south, but good news, they've invited us to stay at their B&B and holiday house.  Good-o. We could have talked all night.  Rick was in his element with Bradley, talking Bunnings, caravans, cars, DIY, you name it.  A great end to a crappy start and not a sand fly to speak of.

Mackay

A great day which started with our farewell to our new friends.  We were so sad to see them go and even suggested they stay another night.  Sadly all good things must come to an end and we parted promising we'd keep in touch and head to NZ.  More washing and playing for the kids meeting the other neighbours and feeding the ducks.  We took off in search of some markets and landed a big gathering at Mt Pleasant just down the road.  It was packed with everything you could think of.  We bought the boys some fabulous hand carved wooden toys, a tractor with tray and a grader.  Both have moving parts and are so well made by a craftsman in his 70's.  Love it.  And we bumped into the gypsy from Rockhampton in her combie selling very bohemian "things".  Then out to the Marina for a pleasant surprise.  How amazing is this place.  The marina was huge and had a very Mediterranean feel.  They've built it to accommodate the super yachts for repairs and stop overs.  The restaurants were quiet because it was windy, so I imagine on a beaut day this place would pump.  We bought some fabulous local prawns and oysters and headed home for lunch.  We hung out at the caravan for a few hours, skyping both grandparents.  Lovely.  And back to the Marina around 4PM with the intention of settling in for beers and dinner.  There was live music and a bucking bull.  No one was obliterated enough to try it, so the kids had a go instead.  Max was hesitant but Zachie was up and ready for a sit.  A great vibe, but the weather got the better of us as we were unprepared for the wind and cold.  Sadly we said good bye and headed back home to thaw out.  About 10PM, two guys from Wollongong arrived on the site where our neighbours had left earlier.  They had driven two days straight to get here and are planning to island hop via kayak to Bowen on Tuesday.  They slept in swags, not even a tent in sight. They have to carry everything with them - food, water, lighting, bedding, swags, clothes.  How cool, but how crazy can you be?  Rick is in awe.  Don't get any ideas....

Yeppoon

 

Brrr, it was chilly this morning. Maxie woke up with the cold, so we turned the heater on by 5AM.  Sadly when I went to put him back to bed, I aggravated an old back injury and spent most of the day hobbling around. Despite the cold start, it was warm again today and my washing was near dry by mid morning.  So we took a day trip into Rockhampton and what a pretty main street.  Lots of beautiful architecture with grand old buildings, particularly the court houses - there are three (does that say something about the locals?).  The Fitzroy River runs along side the CBD and I'm guessing the street opposite the river would have been the old main street as the buildings dated back to the mid 1800s's.  Just lovely. And the Heritage Hotel is fabulous.  They've pumped lots of money into it and it's impressive inside. The outside was just gorgeous although the picture above doesn't do it justice.  Big, grand, white with wooden doors and lots of lattice.  The river is brown and not exactly beautiful or enticing with numerous bridges connecting the north and south.  It was dotted with a few sailing boats which seemed out of place, particularly given the gorgeous waterways we're staying near just 30km down the road. We stumbled across this fantastic combie van pictured above, complete with herb garden on the roof.  It pulled up next to us as we were taking a pic. The occupants were as wild as the van. The main street is now one street over, with lots of pretty trees and parking in the centre similar to Griffith's main street. The street was quiet though, not as bustling as I expected given the size of Rockie. And the shops were fairly dull.  I guess there's just not many main streets with the selection of shops like Griffith. Anyway we had a nice walk around the foreshore and through the CBD before heading home via the big Shopping Centre on the other side of town to get a few supplies.  It was massive and now I get where all the shoppers were.  Full of chain stores and the obligatory Woolies and Coles.  How sad that these centres take business away from what would have been a vibrant main street once. Anyway we did our jobs and headed back to heaven.  What a stunning drive down the coast, this place is truly beautiful looking out across the islands. We had a lovely skype from my brother and his kids who are visiting mum and dad and showed them around the park.  They made note of Rick's facial fur.  It so needs to go.  Another skype from Justine Charlton in Singapore and it was time to call it a day, and put the heater on.  A big drive tomorrow as we head north to Mackay and the Whitsunday Islands.

Yeppoon

A very quiet day today.  Washing and jobs in the morning while the kids played endlessly on the jumping pillow and playground.  We managed to catch up with the family from Lake Awoonga and hung out together for a few hours.  We headed off for a walk that lasted momentarily as we realised it was all to hard with Zachie in the pram.  So across the lake to the Causeway Lake Kiosk for some fish and chips that a local told us was fab.  The homemade fish cakes were tasty albeit crumbed and fried, but the rest was very average. The kids had fun though in yet another playground. We had plans to head to Stoney Creek a beaut spot up the road, but had to come home first to get Zachies shoes.  And somehow we got side tracked for the rest of the afternoon talking to neighbours from Bathurst.  A lovely couple (were guessing mid-late 50's) with their friends en route to Cairns in a caravan and then flying on to Cape York and snaking their way back down.  They sold their house and are on the road permanently. Great to talk to and Rick did plenty of that.  So much for being reserved.  The kids played in the park while we chatted.  It was lovely, quiet and very lazy. Perhaps tomorrow will be a little more active with that intended trip to Stoney Creek for some four wheel driving. Another warm day, although it did get really cold last night and we had the heater on again this morning.