Chapter 7 - Coastal Queensland

Day 55 – Wednesday 20 July – Townsville

The day started with 90% cloud cover and a forecast of rain. However the laundry manager said that we "need to wash some clothes". At 7:20 am I loaded two washing machines and crossed my fingers.

After a shower and a change of bed-sheets a third load of washing was completed.

It was Kay's birthday so we made a fuss of her. A while later we drove into the "Strand" and had an excellent birthday lunch at the "C Bar" (see below).

After lunch Shirley and I picked up the car from the service centre and drifted back to camp. While we were watching the world go by a Great Bowerbird was collecting twigs. We were surprised to see the lilac rosette on the head of the bird.

It was not long before the four of us met for our first collective Happy Hour of the trip.

Day 56 – Thursday 21 July – Townsville

Another casual start to the day. Darryl and I went to Bunnings and other shops for us guys. The ladies went to shops more appropriate for them.

We all returned in time for lunch and did not do much for the afternoon, apart from reading and a sudoku or two. The temperature was 25 at 3pm, but rain clouds were threatening.

As Shirley and I had a coffee a number of birds showed off. I caught the little guys below on camera. A few others eluded me, the Bowerbird being one of them. Earlier in the day we had found the 'bower' that the Bowerbird was building.

Above: Blue-faced honeyeater

Below: Rainbow Lorikeets

Things outside were packed up in readiness for our departure tomorrow.

Day 57 – Friday 22 July – Charters Towers

Kay and Darryl departed before Shirley was awake as they had a minor caravan repair job scheduled. That was completed in quick time and they were on the road as Shirley headed to the shower.

We departed around 9am and headed to Charters Towers. The 135 km was completed without fuss and we were soon both booked into the Big4 Oasis Park in 'Charters'.

Shirley and I soon met our neighbours, who introduced themselves as Peter & Mary. Being a bit flippant I asked "where is Paul". Peter replied "our son Paul is at home". Click here if you forget who was 'Peter, Paul & Mary".

It was a slow and relaxing day. Shirley and I had a wander around the town for an hour or so.

Around 5 pm we wandered over to the camp kitchen where our $15 pizzas were soon delivered.

After the pizzas were consumed we headed back to our caravan for a coffee, as it was getting coldish.

Day 58 – Saturday 23 July – Charters Towers

It was rodeo time in Charters Towers and we were happy that we already had our tickets - as it was a 'sold out' event. Some campers were not happy that they did not buy their tickets early, and missed out.

We had a lazy start to the day and ventured out to the Dalrymple Equestrian Centre around 1pm. 

We had nearly three hours of entertainment, including men, women, teenagers and under 12's.

The adjacent image shows what events were happening. >>>

Above: Ladies Barrel Race

Below: Junior Bull Ride

We went back to camp for maybe 90 minutes then returned in time for the 6pm night show - virtually the finals of the events seen earlier.

The evening started with an appearance of a local fire truck that sent buckets of lollies into the crowd - for the kids. Shirley got two boiled lollies.

We enjoyed the 'Outback' sunset at the western end of the Equestrian Centre. Do you detect a common element with the hats on the 'cowboys' and 'cowgirls'.

There was plenty of action and plenty of spills and the following great photos from Darryl shows one of each - 'barrel' action on the left and a spill on the right. Note that the guy who took a fall was still hanging on to his hat when he hit the deck.

We got back to camp around 9:15 pm after a great day of entertainment - for only $10 each. 

Day 59 – Sunday 24 July – Charters Towers

If I get out of bed at 9:20 am, I am either crook or pretty relaxed. Today it was the latter.

A very late breakfast and shower lead to a latish trip to the "Centenary Park" market. The four of us strolled around the smallish market and bought nothing. However I did take a photo of a monster truck that was advertising the Charters Towers show that starts today and goes for 3 days.

Darryl and I thought that it would be a bit of a 'hoot' to use the truck to tow our caravan through some large city. Not that our wives would approve.

A late morning coffee preceded a late lunch, which lead into a relaxing afternoon.

Around 5pm the four of us procured a table beside the campfire at the BBQ area, in readiness for our $20 dinner to support the local Lions Club. From 6pm we were served pumpkin soup, roast beef and vegies, and sticky-date pudding. It was an excellent meal.

Day 60 – Monday 25 July – Alva Beach

We trundled out of Charters Towers about 8:30 am and headed east for a while. Then we headed south-east, then south. About two hours after departure we arrived in Ayr.

Shopping was completed, plus a pie for lunch. We then drove around 17 km to Alva Beach, which is a coastal fishing town. Alva Beach has lots of homes, but no shops, petrol station, cafe or pub. There are lots of wetlands.

We checked into the caravan park and had lunch.

Then we went for a walk on one the many beach spots - at low tide. Shirley found a couple of pretty shells. The town has water on three sides from ocean and wetlands. It is a bird and lily haven. The wetlands could provide a good sunset photo.

There were plenty of water birds on display, in the wetlands. A Royal Spoonbill posed for me.

Around 4:45 we headed to the camp kitchen with Kay & Darryl and two of their friends from home. Happy hour blended into dinner, and suddenly it was 9:30 pm. It had been a good evening.

Day 61 – Tuesday 26 July – Alva Beach

It was another great start to the day - we woke up.

Around mid morning we returned to the beach of yesterday, except that it was near high tide this time. The four of us had a 3 km stroll along the magnificent beach.

We smiled at the beach art that consisted of pre-loved feet apparel and a 'holy' kayak.

On the way back to camp I scored a few more birds in the wetlands.

Top: Eastern Reef Egret
Middle: Little Egret
Bottom: White-faced Heron

After mid-arvo coffee Darryl and I wandered down to our local beach - a long walk through soft sand - a favourite fishing spot for locals. The pelicans were after fish caught by others.

A sea eagle was also around but not within adequate camera distance.

Around 5:30 I drove to the local wetlands for a sunset photo. Regular readers will know of my love of sunsets. The following two photos are not the best photos that I have ever taken. However the sunset that I viewed was one of the best that I have ever seen.

Above: 5:38 pm

Below: 10 minutes later

Day 62 – Wednesday 27 July – Alva Beach

The day started without a cloud in the sky, and was around 15 degrees at 7:30 am. I put a load of washing on as I headed to the shower.

After morning coffee the four of us went for a drive, with two destinations in mind.

First stop was to check out the locally famous Burdekin Bridge. It is 1.2 km in length and is an impressive structure. It crosses the Burdekin River, which is Australia's largest river by (peak) discharge volume.

The bridge has a footpath on one side and a cane-train-track on the other. The photo below shows a cane refinery chimney in the background.

We moved on to Mount Inkerman which is the only hill within cooee. It rises 219 metres above nearby land. The top is accessed via a steep road or a hard walking track.

Above: Looking north west from Mount Inkerman,
showing market gardens and sugar cane 

Below: Looking east. The hills in the background belong to 'Cape Upstart NP'.
The photo was taken from a paragliding launch pad.
The white patch in the photo is one possible landing spot.

On our return we checked out a sugar cane farm that allows self-contained caravans to camp - Burdekin Cane Farm stay. It was a pleasant spot to camp.

A walk on the beach and a pork chop for dinner filled the remainder of the day.

Day 63 – Thursday 28 July – Alva Beach

The last day of our ninth week was the first time that I was able to get an east-coast beach sunrise. I (fairly) quietly left the camp and drove to Lynch's Beach, a part of Alva Beach. My prospects did not look good so I headed further north and listened to the 6:30 am ABC News before I left the car. It was around 13 degrees.

The water in the above photo is an inshore lagoon that is protected by the large sand bar in the background. The photo was taken near the red symbol in the image below. 

As I headed back to camp I noticed a Blue Winged Kookaburra out looking for an early worm. He shifted locations between photos so maybe a worm was on offer.

It was another slow day. 

Around noon I had a lovely surprise when a bottle of wine was delivered to the caravan, courtesy of a good mate who was at our regular pizza & red wine lunch in Melbourne. Darryl and I, of course, could not be there. He was unable to arrange a pizza.

After lunch we decided on another beach walk - at low tide. 

So around 1:30 we headed back to the beach. 

Alva Beach is popular for its fishing, its crabs and its diving. We saw a dive boat returning to shore and a crab that was a victim of some misfortune. The little guy was about the size of my hand.

Below: Dive boat returning to shore

Kay and Darryl cooked some corned silverside for dinner and invited us to join them, with mashed spuds, carrots and cabbage. It was superb. We dined inside as the wind and the chill factor made it too cold outside.

This chapter is Complete.
Last updated at 9 am on Tuesday 2 August.

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