Day 44 Friday 9/7/21 Tannum Sands, overcast 21

We have a few drops of rain, but the morning is pleasant.

I’m feeling inadequate. As I sit in the camp kitchen chatting with the cleaner and charging the iPad, a woman marches in with a full-sized mixer and starts making a cake. I’m beginning to think that there’s a little bit of one upmanship between the regulars in this park. The cleaner, on the other hand, is a fascinating guy with a passion for Wonthaggi in Victoria and an infinite knowledge of the old underground coal mines there.

Following Elle’s advice we book into Country Club Accommodation Park in Rockhampton. It’s a 3* park but we’re desperate for somewhere to stay around Rocky while we wait to get into Mulambin. Here at Tannum Sands this park had 65 arrivals yesterday and turned away just as many. These are crazy times.

Thinking that it might be nice to have fish and chips by the beach we drive up the hill, place our order at the shop and wait outside mindful each other’s space. It’s always amusing ordering fish and chips in other states as we Victorians always assume that the fish will be flake (shark) which has firm flesh and a strong iodine flavour. We order Red Emperor, sea scallops (just scallops to us), potato scallops (potato cakes) and chips. The fish is generously proportioned, the scallop a small dry disc and the potato cake huge but with little potato. Maybe the slicer broke. The beach is lovely.

Accom: 21.00

Towing Kms: 0

On the Covid front, there are another 40 cases in Sydney today.