Maroochydore to Rockhampton

Maroochydore to Hervey Bay – Friday 8 July 2011

Up and on our way once again, on the road by a very leisurely 10:00am the weather is just perfect warm and sunny.  Today is a nice easy run up to Hervey Bay, we arrived there about 1:00pm and booked into the Top Tourist Australiana Caravan Park.

That afternoon we went for a drive around Hervey Bay taking in the sights of the bay, we came across the new water park that is very environmentally friendly using 90% recycled water then along the Esplanade to the historic 1km Urangan Peir.  Today we just looked at it with plans to walk it tomorrow.  We ended up down at the Marina and booked ourselves on a cruise around the bay, as the Whale season has not started as yet the cruise was the next best option. 

This is what the Peir looked like in its heyday

Hervey Bay – Saturday 9 July 2011

Up and going early, as our Hervey Bay cruise starts at 9am, and we need to be at the Marina by 8:30am.  The cruise was on the Quick Cat II, we headed out from the harbour at 9am, the plan was to head to the north of Fraser Island then track down the coast taking in the sights. 

Just as we left the harbour we came across a pod of dolphins playing around, so that was our first bonus.  Then tracking north we were informed by another tour boat that they had found a couple of whales in the bay, very exciting as the season really hadn’t started.  Full steam ahead for about 2km to find these whales and there they were, carrying on like whales do.  We followed them for about an hour and saw plenty of tail slapping and these great mammals playing around.  We were truly lucky. After this it was a trip along the island and back to the harbour, very satisfied with our morning adventure.

Tail Action

 

More Tail Action

On board the Quick Cat II

A quick but nice lunch at the Yacht Cub then over to the jetty to do the promised walk, it is actually only 864mtrs each way, but it was still a nice walk with plenty of fishermen wetting a line.  I must say I didn’t see one caught fish amongst them.

Urangan Peir Today

Hervey Bay to Rockhampton – Sunday 10 July 2011

With just over 400km to travel today and a lunch appointment at Gladstone we were on the road reasonably early, 8:15am.  It was a cool to cold (for the region) and we actually had the heater on in the car for the first hour, yes we seem to be getting soft!

We had an easy trip up the Bruce Highway, it is really a bit of a goat track.  If you ever thought the NSW Pacific Highway north of Kempsey was bad, well this matches it.  Any rate we survived the trip and arrived in Gladstone to meet up with a Parliament House friend and her family for lunch at the local Sailing Club.

Marlene, Robyn and Family

Lunch was nice and we caught up on all the news from home and Parliament, we were them back on the road by 3:00pm heading for Rockhampton.  It was a nice trip up the highway passing the Gladstone power station and aluminium smelters along the way. Heading north in the afternoon the sun was now warm to hot, we arrived in Rocky (local jargon) at the Big 4 Discovery Caravan Park about 4:30pm, it was now a mad rush to have the van on site and settled so I could watch the last hour of the V8’s in Townsville, Ford came 3^rd so that it was worth the rush.

Rockhampton – Monday 11 July 2011

What a cold morning, only 4deg, I know it is colder at home, but we are now in the tropics (having crossed the Tropic of Capricorn yesterday) and I expected better, mind you we are in shorts and t-shirts so it is bearable. 

Easy start to the day, first job was the domestics then we were off on a nice trip out to the coast visiting Yeppoon and Emu Park.  We had a great day, the coast line is just lovely and the water is a beautiful bluey green, with great views across the water to Greta Keppel Island. 

We had a nice lunch of fresh fish, sitting looking out across the waters and listening to the tunes from the “Singing Sails” at Emu Park on the headland.  It was just perfect sitting in the sun looking out across the water in the sun, what a perfect way to spend the afternoon.

Sing Sail Emu Park

Back to reality and Rockhampton to do the grocery shopping to stock up to get us through to Cairns.  We leave Rocky tomorrow for a few days at Airlie Beach and a cruise out to the islands, life is so hard at times.