Bargara, Bundaberg

Aug 29 2011 We left Yeppoon and headed nearer to Maryborough (need to be there for the Queensland Vets Golf Championships) for a short stay at Bargara, on the coast just 15 kms east of Bundaberg. Bargara is a beautiful and unspoilt coastal town which is definitely on the re-visit list. There is a coastal bicycle track which travels 10 kms north to Burnett Heads. We gave our bikes a good run on that track ! The track travels through a large turtle sanctuary where turtles return to their birth place to dig large nests in the sand to lay their eggs. These turtles always return to the exact same beach where they were born to lay their own eggs. Unfortunately, the turtle season is later in the year.

We played 2 local golf courses – Bargara and Coral Cove. Coral Cove’s claim to fame is it is one of the only 2 golf courses in Australia with a Par 6 hole. Bob also had a hit at the local Bundaberg squash club to keep his hand in.

Yeppoon, Rockhampton

Aug 21 2011 Left lovely Lake Maraboon and headed east to the coast for a short stay at Yeppoon.

Yeppoon is the gateway to the Capricorn Coast. The town has a charming esplanade with lovely views over to Great Keppell Island on the Barrier Reef. On the way we stopped at Blackwater which is the centre of Queensland’s coal industry. There was a very interesting museum about the history of coal mining in the area which (strangely) also had a Japanese Garden attached. This celebrated Blackwater’s links to a sister city in Japan.

One of the most interesting tourist sites in Yeppoon is the ‘Singing Ship’. This is a sculpture which incorporates organ pipes which react with the wind to create musical notes. The sculpture was erected to commemorate Capt James Cook’s discovery and naming of nearby Keppel Bay in May 1770.

Imagine our complete surprise when, on setting up the caravan site we were approached by a couple who have been travelling all over the north of Australia since the beginning of June. Jeff and Faye Chappell are friends we know from our golf club back in Pelican Waters ! Jeff and Bob played golf with the local vets at Yeppoon Golf Club and then all 4 of us played at the Capricorn Resort Course which has lots of kangaroos.

We also visited (but did not play) the only 18 hole golf course in Australia that has synthetic greens – the Zilzie Golf Club.

The Parklake Sapphires

Situated 50 kms west of Emerald are some of the world’s richest sapphire fields. Local town names include Sapphire, Rubyvale and Anakie. Sapphires of all colours are found here, most notably the yellow. The area has been restricted from big mining companies and still has the feel of the original ‘Klondike’ with ramshackle settlements and small individual mines dug by hand. It is possible to ‘fossick’ for your own gems for a small investment in a license.

Siobhan decided to take the easy option and as a token of the end of our recent Parklake Terraces era, decided to purchase a sapphire ring from a small husband and wife team. Peter has mined his own small mine by hand for over 30 years. He cuts and sets the stones and his wife, Eileen, runs the small gallery shop. Siobhan’s 3 sapphire (1 blue and 2 yellow) ring will now be known as The Parklake Sapphires !!

Lake Maraboon, Emerald

Aug 12 2011 We left Cotton Tree and headed north west inland towards Emerald. Our first stop was at Munduberra. This is the centre of the main citrus growing area of Queensland and is situated on the banks of the Burnett river.

Next overnight stop was Biloela. This is in the Banana Shire which is quite strange because no bananas are grown here. It was named after a bullock called banana whose job was to lure wild cattle into enclosures. We tried out the local golf course at Biloela.

Aug 14 and we arrive at Emerald. Emerald lies on the Tropic of Capricorn and the region combines tourism with mining, industry, agriculture and cattle raising. Most of Queensland’s coal exports come from open cut mines around Blackwater which is approx 75 kms from Emerald. Cotton is the major crop in the Emerald agricultural area. 25% of Queensland’s cotton comes from here. The town was established in 1879 as a service town while the railway from Rockhampton to the west was being built.

Emerald’s railway station was built in 1900 and is classified by the National Trust as the finest building in the Central Highlands. The town also boasts the world’s biggest Van Gogh sunflower painting on an easel. (See if you can spot Siobhan in the picture under the painting – that gives an idea of the size). After a game of golf at the Emerald golf course we had to visit the local Irish bar for a pint of Guiness.

We are booked in at the caravan park at Lake Maraboon which is 18 kms south of Emerald, for a week. The Lake is formed by the Fairbairn Dam and is 3 times the size of Sydney Harbour. It is stocked with barramundi. Murray cod and golden perch. However, the dam is most famous for its red-claw crafish. The caravan site is right in the bush with lots of bird and animal life. The owners of the site organise entertainment and activities most days.

Close to the end of our stay at Lake Maraboon, we went to the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s disco (Yes, disco !) at the camp kitchen. We won a prize for the best smoochy dance couple. The prize was a bottle of very interesting wine. It is called ‘Van Vino Jockey Wheel Cabernet’. The spiel on the back of the bottle says ‘The annex is up, the van is levelled and all wired up. You’ve surveyed your position and smiled at your good fortune. You may have been here a few hours, a few days. It’s perfect. Table set, sun set, you’re set. All that is left to do, as the steak goes on the barbie, is to take a long hard look at the jockey wheel (wine that is).’

THE END OF AN ERA ….. AND THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ONE

July 29 2011 is a significant date for Bob and Siobhan. That is the day the sale of the Management Rights business at Parklake Terraces settled. After 6+ years we leave with some sadness but with more happiness for an exciting new era beckons. Leaving the office was not such a sad moment.

So it is fairwell to our little house for the last time. Ebay helped us get rid of some unwanted bits and pieces. The rest went into storage. :

Time to get the caravan out of storage. It has been 5 months since its last outing to Sydney with Grannie Sue. We based ourselves at Cotton Tree in Maroochydore while we got everything organised.

Port Macquarie Australian Vets Golf

Nov 8 to 12 2010 The Australian Veterans Golf Association hold their annual championships in different states each year. Last year was Queensland (Cairns). And this year the championships were held in NSW at Port Macquarie. The event was over 3 rounds of golf at 3 different local golf clubs : Port Macquarie, Camden Haven and Wauchope. All the courses were in great condition, considering there had been a lot of rain the previous week.

Pelican Waters Golf Club was very well represented with 9 players attending the event. Out of those nine people, 6 won prizes. Bob was runner up on the first day at Port Macquarie with a net score of 67 and also runner up on the second day at Camden Haven with a net 68. His third round at Wauchope was not as good with a net 75. However, he did end up as runner up in B Grade for the tournament.

Siobhan also played well. She was ladies runner up on her second day and won the ladies competition on her third day. Siobhan also won a ‘nearest the pin’ prize at Camden Haven. The prizes were vouchers for golf equipment and we ended up with over $750 worth : should not have much problem spending it though !

Next year’s event is to be held in Tasmania and we are looking forward to seeing the state for the first time.

There was a gala dinner and prizegiving at Port Macquarie on the Friday night and a good time was had by all.

The trip was completed with a short 2 night stay at Ballina, on the north east coast of NSW.

Nelson Bay

Nov 4 to 6 2010 Left the caravan at Port Macquarie to travel 250 Kms south to Nelson Bay to visit Tom and Julie who have recently moved up from Sydney. As you can see from the photos, the weather was unseasonally cold and the scheduled golf had to be cancelled. Had a lovely drive around Port Stephens and Tom produced a beautiful lamb roast on his new rotisserie BBQ. Friends John and Di joined us for the BBQ.

Port Macquarie

Nov 1 to 14 2010 Port Macquarie is situated at the mouth of the Hastings River on the blue Pacific Ocean. The European settlement of Port Macquarie was established in 1821 and is one of the oldest penal settlements outside Sydney.

Arrived just in time to set up before an impressive thunder and lightening storm. Took a trip on the bikes to see some of the great scenery. Bob had a quick fish off the wharf and was surprised by a pod of 5 dolphins who he reckons frightened all the fish away ! Treated ourselves to a seafood platter at a lovely restaurant on the river.

Friends Alan and Lorraine Brydson and Matt and Maria Schlotterbach came down for the Aussie Vets Golf and we invited them all to the caravan for a BBQ. We also met with Jim and Maureen Nixon the following evening at their caravan site for a lovely meal at the on-site restaurant.

The coastline around Port Macquarie is absolutely spectacular with rocky headlands and long sandy beaches. Siobhan tried the water but it was too cold for a long swim.

Brunswick Heads NSW

Oct 28 to Nov 1 2010 Looked for a stop over on the way to Port Macquarie and decided on Brunswick Heads, just north of Byron Bay, 250 Kms south of Brisbane. This is a lovely, small unspoilt village on the mouth of the Brunswick river. There was lots of wild life. These were local neighbours who came to visit. Plus we spotted whales just off the coast heading back south to the Antarctic.

The family next to us had 3 small school-aged children who they were home schooling using the internet whilst they travelled around Australia for 2 years.

Took a trip to Byron Bay which wasn’t really what we expected (not many hippies around !). It had more modern shops and restaurants and was a very busy tourist town. The Byron lighthouse was certainly worth a visit with great views of the coastline. We then went inland up the Tweed Valley tourist drive and found Nimbin which is where all the hippies now live. Finally, played a round of golf at Ocean Shores which was quite a difficult course but very picturesque.

Before the trip to Brunswick Heads Bob organised a surprise night away in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland at Maleny for Siobhan’s birthday. The meal was at the Reserve Restaurant (a favourite) and the usual dozen red roses were waiting at the table !

There is a wonderful Aboriginal legend of the Glasshouse Mountains (pictured above).

The legend of the Glasshouse Mountains in Aboriginal told stories runs: Now Tibrogargan was the father of all the tribes and Beerwah was his wife, and they had many children. Coonowrin, the eldest; the twins, Tunbubudla; Miketeebumulgrai; Elimbah whose shoulders were bent because she carried many cares; the little one called Round because she was so fat and small; and the one called Wild Horse since he always strayed away from the others to paddle out to sea. (Ngungun, Beerburrum and Coochin do not seem to be mentioned in the legend). One day when Tibrogargan was gazing out to sea, he perceived a great rising of the waters. He knew then that there was to be a very great flood and he became worried for Beerwah, who had borne him many children and was again pregnant and would not be able to reach the safety of the mountains in the west without assistance. So he called to his eldest son, Coonowrin, and told him of the flood which was coming and said, “Take your mother, Beerwah, to the safety of the mountains while I gather your brothers and sisters who are at play and I will bring them along.” When Tibrogargan looked back to see how Coonowrin was tending to his mother he was dismayed to see him running off alone. Now this was a spiritless thing for Coonowrin to do, and as he had shown himself to be a coward he was to be despised. Tibrogargan became very angry and he picked up his nulla nulla and chased Coonowrin and cracked him over the head with a mighty blow with such force that it dislocated Coonowrin’s neck, and he has never been able to straighten it since. By and by, the floods subsided and, when the plains dried out the family was able to return to the place where they lived before. Then, when the other children saw Coonowrin they teased him and called “How did you get your wry neck – How did you get your wry neck?” and this made Coonowrin feel ashamed. So Coonowrin went to Tibrogargan and asked for forgiveness, but the law of the tribe would not permit this. And he wept, for his son had disgraced him. Now the shame of this was very great and Tibrogargan’s tears were many and, as they trickled down they formed a stream which wended its way to the sea. So Coonowrin went then to his mother, Beerwah, but she also cried, and her tears became a stream and flowed away to the sea. Then, one by one, he went to his brothers and sisters, but they all cried at their brother’s shame. Then Tibrogargan called to Coonowrin and asked why he had deserted his mother and Coonowrin replied, “She is the biggest of us all and should be able to take care of herself.” But Coonowrin did not know that his mother was again with child, which was the reason for her grossness. Then Tibrogargan put his son behind him and vowed he would never look at him again. Even to this day Tibrogargan gazes far, far out to sea and never looks at Coonowrin. Coonowrin hangs his head in shame and cries, and his tears run off to the sea, and his mother, Beerwah, is still pregnant, for, you see, it takes many years to give birth to a mountain.”

Groper Creek

Oct 1 to 3 2010 Back onto the Bruce Highway, heading north to Groper Creek. First stop Bundaberg for 2 nights. Visited Bundaberg Rum factory (for free samples) and the place where they make the barrels. Bundaberg has very red soil because of an active volcano a long time ago. The land is very productive with sugar cane, tomatoes and sweet potatoes grown abundantly. Also, Bundaberg produces over 80% of the hot chillies sold in Australia.

Oct 4 to 11 2010 Off to Groper Creek which is a remote (very) small town on the mouth of the Burdekin River just south of Ayr in north east Queensland. Friends from the golf club, Steve and Marilyn Redman, spend 4 weeks or so at Groper Creek each year and invited us and some other golfing friends (Marilyn (Maz) and Dick Hancock) to share their idyllic spot. Steve loves fishing and crabbing and also has a boat : great to have friends like that !!

What an extraordinarily fantastic and beautiful spot Groper Creek is. And what a wonderful time we had with our friends. Steve is an avid crabber and was always providing fresh mudcrabs for the group. Fresh fish (mainly salmon and grunter) was also on the menu regularly. Bob has Steve to thank for teaching him how to throw a cast net to catch bait fish and prawns. Bob’s highlight was catching a lovely salmon, filleting it, BBQ’ing and eating it : all within 2 hours.

Steve also introduced us to fish ‘wings’, a small part of the fish that is between the head and main body, and a part of the fish a lot of fishermen throw away. But on the BBQ they are absolutely delicious, with very tender and sweet flesh.

The group, minus Maz who was nursing a broken wrist (separate story there !), also managed a round of golf at Ayr, home course of Australia’s lady champion golfer Karrie Webb. Ayr’s fairways are lined with mango trees and all players went home with several bags full.

One final note : the picture above of Bob’s feet has a story attached. Steve wore some plastic shoes which are a copy of the famous Crocs. Bob, of course, had to have a pair and bought some originals and wore them for a days fishing with Steve. Crocs have holes in them and Bob, who was otherwise completely covered from head to foot, forgot to cover his feet with sun screen. Hence the red spotty feet and he was thereafter referred to as ‘Spot’.

It was with sad hearts that we left Groper Creek but also with many happy memories … and we will be back !