Hughenden
June 2018, Hughenden, Qld It’s hard to know what to make of Hughenden. It is busier than Winton is these days but the wide empty streets denote that it must once have been much bigger. Being a part of the … Continue reading Hughenden
Category: Places
Goondiwindi
Goondiwindi (pronounced Gun da windy), southern Queensland, almost August 2017 Just over the NSW Qld border, Goondiwindi is a bustling hub for interstate trucks and farmers. Cotton, grain and wool are the industries of choice. We choose the quietest caravan … Continue reading Goondiwindi
Esperance
Mar 2015, Esperance, WA Esperance is a very windy town. It seems that everyone has a saying for Esperance. “Windy all ways”. “You’ve gotta pick your days at Esperance, there’s only one”. Yet apart from all of this cheek it is a stunningly beautiful spot and the ocean views are purely magical. Perhaps its got something to do with that wind? Continue reading Esperance
Nobbys Beach
March 2013, Newcastle, NSW A lone surfer strolls up the beach just after sunrise. The morning light illuminates Nobbys Lighthouse, a few hundred metres away espresso machines gurgle into life and a city wakes to a new day. Continue reading Nobbys Beach
Eungella
July 2018, Eungella, Qld I had originally planned that we’d stay at the Broken River Bush Camp at Eungella National Park. Fortunately our mates ‘The Sugars’ in Mackay recommended the Finch Hatton showgrounds as the best option for touring the area and I now know why. Finch Hatton is central and the road up to Eungella is steep with a gradient in places exceeding 15%. If you’ve travelled the Waterfall Way in NSW it is reminiscent but steeper. Lined with palms, tiny waterfalls spurt from the rock face and halfway up a road crew are working to repair the edge. … Continue reading Eungella
Capel Sound
Oct 2018, Mornington Peninsula, Vic There’s warmth in the air and a spring in every step. Melbourne has turned on one of those days when Port Phillip Bay is perfectly flat and a soft powdery blue. Families are drawn to … Continue reading Capel Sound
Finch Hatton
July 2018, Finch Hatton, Qld Inland from Mackay the Pioneer Valley is positively bucolic. Small sugar towns, old Queenslanders surrounded by palms and cane, acres of cane. Sugar mills belching steam high into the air. Marian, the town where Dame Nellie Melba once lived as a young bride in an unsuccessful marriage. Towns like Mirani, Gargett where we stop to walk through the market and then we arrive at Finch Hatton. The Main Street of Finch Hatton, where a railway line once ran is lined with palms and big old mango trees. There’s a pub, a general store, a real … Continue reading Finch Hatton
A Hasty Visit to Cooper Creek
June 2018, Western Queensland After about 250kms (from Quilpie) we come to masses of greenery and a sign declaring 10kms of Cooper Creek channels. This is it. In water terms it’s the aorta of Australia’s central river systems. I’m excited, this is what I have wanted to see for so long. Before making camp we drive into Windorah for fuel. There is a sign announcing “No shooting on town common.” Either the locals here are a colourful bunch or this sign is directed at us. We return to Cooper Creek and find ourselves a perfect campsite only to discover that … Continue reading A Hasty Visit to Cooper Creek
Toowoomba
Winter 2016, Toowoomba, Qld We leave Jondaryan on Queenslands’ Darling Downs and before our bums have been warmed by the heated seats we’ve hit the outskirts of Toowoomba and boy it is larger than we had expected. With excitement we … Continue reading Toowoomba
Bytes from Midge Point
Winter 2018, Midge Point, Qld This is a quiet, peaceful and friendly little park so good that we decide to extend from the intended 3 nights to 7 nights. We spend a day washing and cleaning. What is it about … Continue reading Bytes from Midge Point
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