2022 - (Almost) Lap of QLD

Day 36: Tue 31 May - Gladstone to Yeppoon 151km Towed [Total driven this trip 3,626km - 3,300km towed]   15 – 27°. We woke to an overcast and mild morning, and a lovely pink sky. We packed up, said our goodbyes, and got away from Gladstone a little after 8:30am, and it was a good feeling to be back on the road again. It was only a short 151km drive to Yeppoon which we did without stopping. The wind which picked up slightly around mid morning had eased by the time we arrived in Yeppoon shortly after 11am. Our stay for the next 5 nights is at the Blue Dolphin Caravan Park - it's quite small, a bit dated, but very clean, and the caretakers are lovely. It suits us due it its central location and easy access to everything we need while in Yeppoon. The large concrete slab is a bonus too. After setting up, we locked the van and headed down to the beach for lunch - burgers overlooking the beach and stunning blue water. Next on the agenda was a visit to Capricorn Gardens Aged Care Facility ...

Day 35: Mon 30 May - Gladstone  15 – 27°,  The day began overcast becoming sunny with light winds by mid afternoon. It turned out to be another nice day, but quite humid. Still, it was a much nicer day than the 9 deg temp back home in Canberra. It was another relatively quiet day again, the only major activity being an early morning walk over radar hill behind Mum's house, along Goondoon street to the harbour and back home again. Each day, I am feeling slightly better after my bout of COVID, and we are both looking forward to start travelling again tomorrow.  The majority of the day was packing up and preparing the car and van for our relatively short drive to Yeppoon tomorrow.  View from Radar Hill towards the Alumina Refinery - - Bauxite being unloaded View from Radar Hill towards the Power Station and Mt Larcom in the background Heritage listed Kullaroo House, a former Bank building built in 1910 Kullaroo House Another heritage listed building - the former Gladsto...

Day 34: Sun 29 May - Gladstone  15 – 26°,  Another sensational day - not one cloud in the sky and no wind.  In the morning I rode to Spinnaker Park on the harbour foreshore to meet my brother Peter and his wife for coffee. It was just glorious sitting in the morning sun watching an array of boats crossing the harbour. In the afternoon I got busy with a few chores at home while   Noeleene took Mum shopping (returning with a new pair of gum boots), and then took her to bingo. The rest of the day was spent relaxing with more magnificent weather. Beautiful Spinnaker Park on the Harbour View from our morning coffee spot at Spinnaker Park View to the Marina from Spinnaker Park HMAS Gladstone from Spinnaker Park bringing back memories of my patrol boat days on HMAS Gawler Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church and Primary School built in 1924 and heritage listed  Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church and Primary School - a lovely timber building 

Day 33: Sat 28 May - Gladstone  15 – 26°,  Another beautiful sunny day with a very light breeze in the morning - the type of weather we expect on a trip to QLD at this time of year. Not much to report today, except after a few visitors in the morning, I went for another very enjoyable bike ride around town - a bit longer in distance and a bit more tempo. Meanwhile Noeleene took Mum  for drive to Bunnings to see if she could buy some gumboots  - she's a bit worried about the weather ahead I think (she returned without gumboots!). A bit of a recovery nap in the afternoon was followed by sitting around and chatting. The end of another day came too quickly as we sat down to another one of Mum's yummy baked dinners (pork loin with vegetables). Looking forward to more sunny days. A nearby Reg Tanna Park and Pond Barney Point memorial marking the spot of the first official residence in North Australia.   About 800m from where i lived in Wood St, a much nicer looki...

Days 23-32: Fri 27 May - Gladstone  16 – 26°, After all the rain we've had in the past few weeks, it was a glorious sunny day with very light winds. Noeleene and I ended our mandatory period of isolation on Wed, both testing negative with RAT tests. More relieving, Mum also tested negative. Noeleene's Covid experience has been mostly non-symptomatic, whereas I have been affected by lethargy, headaches, and irritating cough, but I am improving each day. Today was a day to get back on the bike and enjoy a very leisurely ride around town with my camera, enjoying the beautiful weather.  Noeleene and I then headed down to Auckland House at East Shores for a long lunch in the lovely sunshine overlooking the harbour. It was nice to be out again, and my first two beers in more than two weeks tasted a treat. Although we've been in Gladstone for 11 days, today was the first day that we could go out for a meal and enjoy sunshine - it was a very pleasant day. Unfortunately, our ...

Day 22: Tue 17 May - Gladstone  I had a bit of a scratchy throat yesterday morning when I woke, so I took a RAT test which returned a negative result. I woke early this morning feeling little better and even went for a walk with Mum. When I returned, I decided to do another test just to be sure. Damn - it showed positive, and so did Noeleene who feels fine. Thankfully, Mum was  negative, hopefully it stays that way. Our week in Gladstone is now a week in ISO. As it is, I ended up feeling worse as the day went on - even a  2.5 hr sleep made little difference. No travel, no photos, so no updates for at least a week. Back soon. 

Day 21: Mon 16 May - Howard to Gladstone 19 – 28°, We woke to very fine nuisance drizzle, only while packing, then it cleared to a mostly clear sunny and very humid day. We headed off for today's 255km trip north to Gladstone shortly after 8:30am, enjoying relatively little traffic until Gin Gin, where we stopped for a brew and a bite to eat from the 'famous!!" Gin Gin bakery. The rest area on the way through town is very nice and clean, and it's a great spot to break the journey.  While we are happy to contribute  to the local economy of small country towns, a  home brewed coffee out of the van and Noeleene's Ricotta cake would have been much more enjoyable though.  Continuing on our way, the road conditions, especially between Gin Gin and Miriam Vale deteriorated,  with many deep potholes, and even some sections of the highway reduced to a single lane due to the extent of recent flood damage.  We arrived safely in Gladstone at my mother's house in go...

Day 20: Sun 15 May - Howard 20 – 28°, Partly cloudy at times today, but mostly sunny, and for the first time in five days - we had no rain. It was very humid though - 100% relative humidity. After breakfast, I went for a short ride around the quiet streets of Howard, returning to the Hippo Farm chasing the sun to dry everything and prepare for our departure tomorrow. Meanwhile Noeleene went into Hervey Bay for a drive with Wendy to do grocery shopping. After lunch and a little lie down, I went for a 500m stroll down to the weir on the Burrum river, which borders Greg and Wendy's property, and it was still flowing very strongly. On the way back I went for a wander through 'Bamboo Land', a beautiful nursery specialising in bamboo, ginger and heliconia plants just across the road from the Hippo Farm. Everyone was occupied doing their own thing until we all got together outside for a brew and  a piece of Noeleene's freshly baked ricotta, almond and raspberry cake - deliciou...