Townsville to Nanango

Catching up with Judith & Philip this week in Townsville. Washing & shopping are on the agenda to start, then off for a bit of sightseeing, a market and lookout. beautiful weather so soaking up before heading south to the cooler climate.

Market in the centre of Townsville a lovely walk through and entertained with a school band and singers, very impressive.

Castle Hill Lookout, wow didn’t realise Townsville was so big. Judith & I take a morning wander through Castletown Shopping Centre and splurge on my first pedicure, we now have clean & pretty feet…Amazing how dirty your feet get with wearing sandals all day and no soaking of your feet.

A visit to the museum and we learn about the Pandora and the box. A replica of the ships hull and then a model of ship on display. Imagine being on the ships for months. Was amazed at the crocks that were used for their food, must have been so heavy so weight on the ship would have been massive.

Lunch at the Coffee Club before our wander through the Botanical Gardens.

Gardens not very big but some beautiful grouping of flowers. Some roses were stolen so not a very big display only just starting to bloom. There were many beautiful big trees and palms.

Along the road from caravan park is Cape Pallarenda, a quarantine station for First World War.

Cameron decided to visit the Military Museum while I stayed at the park relaxing with Judith!

Leaving Townsville we backtrack over the Burdekin River and past even more Cane trains and onto Mackay.

The leap will be our stop for the night, a tavern, plenty of traffic noise, as on the Bruce Highway.

“A legendary and powerful woman named Kowaha from a local native tribe, committed the ultimate sacrifice in. 1867. Legend says she leapt off the mountain with her newborn baby in her arms to avoid capture by white man.. As a result of this event, the Mandarana Cliff and Valley became known as the Leap.”

Sarina is a sugar town for sure pulled into the Information car park and visited the craft shop and then onto to a tour of the Sugar shack, where we learnt about the production of spirits on site and what happens to by products. This mill is the only one that produces the sugar and distillery on the same site.

We visited the Mater Hospital in Rockhampton where our first granddaughter, Zara, was born 15 years ago, Elizabeth & Jez were working in Blackwater.

Rockhampton is well known for the Brahman bulls, and there are many statues around the town to remind you. Especially as you leave or enter the south of town with a roundabout featuring a huge white bull.

Lunch at Gladstone a Barney Point. Lovely park with a beautiful rain tree. Cameron is fascinated with the tree as when it rains the leaves turn on their sides so as their delicate leaves don’t get damaged from rain drops.

1770 we loved not too commercial as some of the seaside towns are we even saw kangaroos in the middle of town.

A cairn commemorates the first landing of the “Endeavour” in Queensland at Bustard Bay. It stand on the site where one of Cook’s crew carved the date on a tree near there they came ashore on the 24th May 1770.

Bundaberg Rum a well known icon so naturally we have to visit and learn all about their processes, not that different from Sugar Shack at Sarina but on a bigger scale. Molasses pit is enormous and the smell so sweet. No photos unfortunately as phones put it on lockers along with keys and bags.

Hervey Bay for the night and a look around at the big pier , a very commercial town plenty of traffic, not our scene, travelling through Maryborough to Nanango.

Stopped for lunch at Kilkivan where there is a statue for the Kilkivan Great Horse Ride, which is held in April. We arrive in Nanago for the Heritage Nanago Country Muster.