The inland way........

Up and out the next morning, we had decided to leave the coast and take the inland route to Townsville.  Bill has the car booked in there for a service on Monday so we have five days to get there and have a look around before then.

We drove to Gladstone but didn't stop here and continued on to Mt Larcon realizing almost immediately that we had left the coast.  The change in vegetation was very noticeable and continued to be so the further inland we went.  Everywhere is so dry it's hard to believe that they haven't had rain here for so long when the southern areas of Qld and Northern NSW have had so much these last few years.  We also drove past thousands of acres of Sorghum crops and were fascinated by the rust color  of the unharvested fields.

We stopped for lunch at Blackwater Lions Park and found this old Steam Engine taking centre stage.  Known as the Coal Capital of Qld we now knew where the coal filled trains had come from.  We had watched numerous huge coal trains traveling beside us during the morning.  Many were empty and traveling towards Blackwater and the full ones going south to the power stations.  Soon after leaving we passed one of the huge mines and they really do scar the landscape don't they.

We continued on towards Emerald and passed through as we were heading to our overnight spot.  A fabulous little campground called Higher Ground Homestay about 13 kms further on.  A lovely couple allow campers to share their property for a small fee and we enjoyed a very pleasant night here.  It would be an ideal location to stay for a few days if we come this way again.  Many of the others looked like they were settled in for a while but this morning we waved goodbye and continued on our way.

Our first stop was just down the road at Lake Maraboon where we drove across the Fairburn Dam and stopped for a look.  The views from here were quite lovely and while there does seem to be a lot of water you can see that it is quite low.

Our next stop was Emerald itself and we had a walk through here.  The lovely old Railway Station is probably the nicest building in town.  Driving on we passed through Capella and Clermont and Belyando Crossing before stopping for the night at another freecamp at Blackwood National Park.

We drove on from here until we reached Charters Towers where we stopped and enjoyed a walk around this lovely old town.  After gold was discovered in 1871 thousands soon flocked there.  The city was said to have everything any civilized person could want and soon after became known as 'The World'.  Full of history and grand old buildings it doesn't take much imagination to envisage this.

We left here and made our way to Townsville where we were going to spend the weekend with Sandy and Pat.  Once we were parked and plugged in we joined them on the verandah of their lovely old Queenslander.  A cold drink and good friends, what more could you ask for.  And of course we can't forget Patch who welcomed us too.

After catching up for an hour or two we walked down the road to have dinner at the local pub and enjoyed a fun night there.  Back at home there were more drinks on the verandah before we called it a night and caught a few zzzz's before waking the next morning and doing much the same again.  

On our journey since Port Macquarie we had not been able to keep our batteries going more than two days and were not sure if there was an issue with the system or just the still very cloudy skies.  Pat was a great help and together with Bill spent the weekend on Plan A, B and C trying different things.  We think we have the answers now and all should be well.  Fingers crossed!

Saturday night saw us have a mini reunion of sorts as Pat phoned some of the Queensland 'frogs' and three of them, together with their wives came to dinner at the other local pub and then back onto the verandah.  A great night was had by all and it was good to meet Chris Squelch, Darryl Anderson and Lindley Ward again.  

After a scrumptious barbecue breakfast on Sunday Pat and Sandy played tour guide and took us into the city for a look at the Sunday Market there.  From there we drove up to Castle Hill to see the amazing views over Townsville and Magnetic Island.  Back on level ground we took a drive along The Strand which is a lovely park right along the beach.  

Some of the grand old buildings here have been heritage listed and it's good to know they will be preserved for future generations to enjoy.  Back at home we settled in on the verandah once more until it was time to fire up the Barbie again for dinner.  

On Monday Bill had the car booked in for a service and after he returned from delivering it to them we went into town to have a look at Reef HQ The Great Barrier Reef experience.  This aquarium uses water from the sea and is tidal just like the reef.  There were so many different varieties of fish both large and small to see.  Some so colorful and others look like only a mother could love them!

We joined a Turtle Hospital tour and after a fifteen minute movie we walked down the road to see three Green Sea Turtles recovering from various ailments and one endangered Hawksbill Turtle.  It was very interesting and good to know these four will be rehabilitated to the wild again.

Leaving the aquarium we had a look at the marina behind and enjoyed the views up to Castle Hill where we had stood the day before.

Walking down the street back into town I was fascinated by the giant artwork strung across the road.  The giant Golden Orb spider certainly looks impressive but I can only wonder why or be thankful we are here at the right time as we haven't seen any yet.

Bill collected the car while I had a look at the shops and then we returned home to the verandah and our last night with Sandy and Pat.  

The next morning we said goodbye and a huge thank you to our wonderful hosts and set off once more, still heading north towards the sun, next major stop - Cairns.

so until next time.......