Day 62 Sunday 9/7/2023 Goovigen to Mulambin (Capricorn Coast), low 20’s

A chilly early start for the last leg of the journey north. We pick up the Burnett Highway through croplands and some cattle. We spot 4 brolgas in a paddock, a sight that’s always good for the soul. Stopping at Dululu (pronounced D’ loo loo) to empty the toilets at the dump point it seems rather poetic that we can now say that we’ve been to Inaloo, Dunedoo, and Dululu. A toilet trifecta if ever there was one. Leaving the Burnett we turn east onto the Capricorn Highway. Traffic increases. Very long coal trains with engines front and rear and another two in the middle lumber towards the ports and industry on the coast. And of course, as we approach Rockhampton those billboards appear advertising the saleable assets that only bulls can provide. This is the heart of cattle country and there is a life-sized bull statue on the Bruce Highway at each end of the city. The Rockhampton City Council claims to be the only one to own a bull testicle mould. Why? People keep stealing them from the statues.

Moving on from the local entertainment…we do a quick shop at Aldi. No, I’ll rephrase that, we do a major shop. Not only Aldi, but Dan Murphy’s for more ballast, sorry liquor, and Doblo’s Fruit Barn down by the Fitzroy River for fresh fruit and vegetables.

We’re given a warm welcome at NRMA Capricorn Palms Resort caravan park at Mulambin and set up for one night in the unpowered section. We’re in a day earlier and our booked site of 4 weeks will be ready tomorrow.

The beach beckons and once we’re settled we’re both off for a walk, each at our own pace (Woody is a very fast walker and I’m the opposite because there are things to photograph, birds to spot, and any number of treasures and critters to be closely examined).

Elle is on her favourite site and her brother-in-law and his wife (R & S) are camped opposite. There’s a lot to catch up on at happy hour.

Dinner is easy, Aldi fried chicken pieces roasted in the oven as it is a cool night. I turn the diesel heater on and forget to clear the area around the vent, which has towels stacked in front of it*. Bugger! I almost overcooked it.

Accom: $25.20 (unpowered)

Towing Kms: 175kms

*Towels on the floor? When we first started caravanning a friend told me to take plenty of old towels. I’ve been grateful ever since as they’re handy for wet muddy days and for catching all sorts of things that shouldn’t be coming inside. They were a blessing when the hot water service blew a hose in the middle of the night and started flooding the underbed storage area. But that was in WA in 2015 and it’s probably due to do that again soon…