Lesley & Erich on the road again.

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Swisslulu
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Re: Lesley & Erich on the road again.

Post by Swisslulu »

The owner of the Railway Hotel is doing a great job of restoring the building.
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On the lower level he is digging out the original rooms to turn into a special bar and travels every year to the US buying up old motoring memorabilia. He even stores his Indian motorcycle down there.
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Gold mining is still being carried out in the area but by big business these days.
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The old Sarsfield pit which operated from 2000-2009.
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There is an interesting museum located in the old Court House along with a War Memorial in the grounds.
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To be continued.
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Lesley
Our Blog: http://lesleyanderich.wordpress.com
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Swisslulu
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Re: Lesley & Erich on the road again.

Post by Swisslulu »

More of Ravenswood.

The Post Office
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The relocated school buildings.
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A short drive out of town is the White Blow.
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For a small town, there was certainly a lot to see.
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Lesley
Our Blog: http://lesleyanderich.wordpress.com
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Swisslulu
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Re: Lesley & Erich on the road again.

Post by Swisslulu »

Townsville was not originally on our itinerary but we needed a part to be sent from Brisbane so Townsville seemed the obvious place to wait for it.

The view from Castle Hill with Magnetic Island in the background.
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Looking over the Port.
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Looking up at Castle Hill from sea level.
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There were a few options for visiting Magnetic Island but, rather than taking the car over and driving around not really knowing what was what, we decided to take the passenger ferry over and join a small bus tour. This turned out to be a great choice as our driver provided an interesting commentary about the places we visited.

Picnic Bay apparently so called because in the 1920s Townsville locals would picnic at this spot on the island.
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An Agile Rock Wallaby at Geoffrey Bay.
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Horseshoe Bay on the eastern and more exposed side of the island.
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Back at Nelly Bay waiting for the ferry to return us to the mainland.
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Back at the caravan park we met up with another couple from home who were revisiting Townsville having both been stationed separately there with the Army more than 30 years ago. They certainly were amazed at the changes.
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Lesley
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BernieQ2
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Re: Lesley & Erich on the road again.

Post by BernieQ2 »

We have Niece and Nephew in Townsville Lesley...Obviously we camp at their place when in the area .
Its a BIG place now that's for sure .
Bernie .
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Swisslulu
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Re: Lesley & Erich on the road again.

Post by Swisslulu »

From Townsville, we could have gone straight down to Bowen but I had recently heard about a private property with a lagoon teeming with birdlife offering low cost camping. So we made our way about 20kms west off the Bruce Highway to Red Lilly Rural Stopover. There were absolutely no facilities, just a level area between the lagoon and the tree line to park up. We stayed for two nights and apart from the birds and weaners, we were alone, just an afternoon visit from the property owner. I didn’t get many good photos but we enjoyed the peace and quiet. $10 per night.

I have no idea why some photos don’t post properly while others do.

The farmer brought the wood for our evening fires and we enjoyed watching the distant cane burns each night.
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Lesley
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Swisslulu
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Re: Lesley & Erich on the road again.

Post by Swisslulu »

In Bowen we stayed at the Queens Beach Caravan Park, a really nice place where they gave us a double site that we could drive onto with the car still hitched up. Erich commented that the dump points, and I think there were 4 of them, were the best he had ever used. That has got to be some recommendation!

We had a few chores to sort whilst we were in Bowen. I desperately needed a haircut and we had to sort out our pensioner concession for the Suzi now that the Landcruiser is sold. This is one of the few things that can’t be done online with Qld Transport. Those things completed, we took ourselves off the the Sailing Club for a yummy Salt and Pepper Calamari Salad and freshly squeezed juice for lunch.

Next stop was Flagstaff Hill with its spectacular views.
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Whilst I was at the hairdresser, Erich had thought he would explore Horseshoe Bay but couldn’t find a parking space within an easy walk, so we decided to go there earlier the next day. Once again it was very busy, mainly because of the very popular café doing a roaring trade with breakfasts. However, we did find a parking spot and wandered out onto the beach for a look at the interesting rocks.
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There were a few people swimming but I put a toe in and it was too cold for me.
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Lesley
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Swisslulu
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Re: Lesley & Erich on the road again.

Post by Swisslulu »

Next stop Airlie Beach. Not a place that has ever really interested us but we decided to check it out in case we were missing something.

We were allocated a very large site at the Island Gateway CP so we weren’t squashed in like sardines, for which we were grateful.
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There were a number of Bush Stone-Curlews with young wandering about in the Park. Their call is really eerie.
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At 4pm daily, there is a bird feeding session. Not just the usual Rainbow Lorikeets, though there were plenty of them, but also a flock of Plumed Whistling Ducks and a pair of Radjah Shelducks, aka Burdekin Ducks.
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We drove out to Shute Harbour expecting to see some spectacular views but, due to redevelopment of the Harbour area, it was difficult to get a photo without a crane in it.
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A walk around town confirmed that this really was not the place for us. Just too commercialised.

So what to do for a couple of days? A tour seemed like the only option so we decided on a flight over the Whitsunday Islands and the Reef. The tour company was offering huge discounts as they are obviously missing the southerners and it was not much more $$ to add a boat tour to the itinerary.

The flight was really fabulous. We were bussed to the relatively new Whitsunday Coast Airport located south of Proserpine and loaded into a 14 seater Cessna Grand Caravan fixed wing aircraft for the hour long flight. Wow, what an experience.

Whitehaven Beach with Hill Inlet at the top of the photo.
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Heart Reef
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Looks like the limit of photos for this post so will continue in a new one.
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Lesley
Our Blog: http://lesleyanderich.wordpress.com
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Swisslulu
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Re: Lesley & Erich on the road again.

Post by Swisslulu »

Airlie Beach continued.

This channel called “the river” is 65 metres deep and runs between Hook Reef and Hardy Reef where Heart Reef is located.
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Flying back over Airlie Beach
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It was difficult to get photos through the plane windows without any reflections in them.

The boat took an hour to get out to a sheltered patch of reef where we tied up to a buoy for an hour or so allowing the passengers to have a taste of snorkelling. All the gear including stinger suits was provided.
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After everyone was safely back on board, we motored to another secluded bay where we again tied to a buoy and had lunch. Next we landed on Whitsunday Island and walked up to the Hill Inlet Lookout.
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Back on board, we proceeded to Whitehaven Beach which apparently has the purest silica sand in the world. Interestingly, because the sand is so white it reflects the sun and does not get hot like normal sand,
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A few people swam but the water was too cold for us so we spent the 90 minutes sitting in the shade watching others have a try at standup paddle boarding.

By the time we got back to Airlie an hour after leaving Whitehaven Beach, we were quite tired and happy to be dropped back at the caravan park.

The whole day made the trip to Airlie Beach worthwhile but we won’t be returning any time soon.
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Lesley
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Swisslulu
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Re: Lesley & Erich on the road again.

Post by Swisslulu »

Well, after the house drama that took nearly 6 months to be fully sorted, we are on the road again for a 3 week Country Pub Camping tag along around SEQ. Left home yesterday and camped overnight at the Swinging Bridge campsite at Cooyar. 11 degrees in the MH this morning so the diesel heater is getting its first workout in a year.

Moving on today to the Sandy Creek pub at Allan (my maiden name too!) just west of Warwick which is the starting point for the tag along.

We cancelled our Mundi Mundi Bash bookings and plan to spend that money in the pubs and small towns we visit over the next 3 weeks.

Hopefully it will be a fun time.
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Lesley
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Re: Lesley & Erich on the road again.

Post by supersparky »

Have a great trip Lesley and Erich. Looking forward to the photos.
Cheers
David

David and Terrie
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Not all who wander are lost.

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