Queensland Archives - Page 2 of 3

Sunday in Yeppoon

After a very slightly odd church in Yeppoon which started a little early

It was off to the Fig Tree monthly markets

Anita did some Christmas shopping and I finally bought a Desert Rose . See how big it is in April

An early start meant the dogs were neglected and needed an afternoon walk

Which meant exploring further out of Emu Park

Luigi fancied a bite ! Not the wisest decision

Rockhampton

Saturday and with not so good a forecast it was off to Rockhampton for bit of brunch , touristing and shopping

A big river with crocodiles, a big old cafe with a hefty full English and a typical Aussie bar . Then off shopping to Stockland shopping centre and back to the coast

Yeppoon

So I thought Emu Park was a suburb of Yeppoon. But , it is 20k South of it and plenty of wild beaches and resorts exist between the two

Today I can only offer you more scenic local dog walking photos

Riley is very arthritic- he’s the blonde

First BBQ

2 months in and after another hit but quiet day we took lady for a walk followed by beachside barbecue

Not quite up to Andrew Lawson standards of kitchen hygiene

She missed the Golden Orb spider. There is a poor male in the web there

Saturday in Hervey Bay

After 2 days of big tours , we were going to have a relaxing day . Well as much as possible

I dropped off Anita early at her pool , unsure if the dog enjoyed or could cope with the heat

We didn’t quite make it back to the brunch cafe as a river blocked the route

After the walk , which Lady enjoyed and created a big hole in my stomach, it was off to a recommended brunch spot

Hervey Bay Dayman General Store , an undiscovered gem with hearty Veggie Full English and nobody else there sadly ( well in the garden anyway)

Having fed ourselves well at lunchtime, a glass of wine sundowner at Port Vernon. Settled for the rocks as a pair of cyclists pinched our bench

And enjoyed the sunset as we were fed on by the mossies

The cyclists and all other sundowners shot off , obviously forewarned or experienced in mosquito warfare

Fraser Island

So we hopped on a bus and followed the crowds , to the beautiful Fraser Island . The pictures are all you need

Into the country

Our new friends Keith and Hilary like there tours . Keith being a country boy at heart offered a trip into the past and to meet his cousin Ed

So with the thermometer on 32 and rising we set off up the Bruce highway to Childers . A pretty , sweet , farming town , famous for it fruit , nuts and sugar cane and sadly an arson attack on the Palace backpackers hotel which killed 15 young fruit pickers , mainly British in 2000. Now a museum, simply and beautifully done , only spoiled by the rumble of the big trucks up the high street outside

Keith then took us to his birth place and family farm at Dallarnil . The house no longer exists sadly

The new ranch owners have a sense of humour

With thunder clouds gathering in the distance , we met Cousin Ed ( not Eddie) in Biggenden , a local celebrity, tour guide , part time mineral stone collector and polisher

With some aboriginal artefacts to see that he had found in his garden

And many tales to tell over fish and chips ( and my slightly dodgy chicken/ avo melt )

Time was pressing and we followed lunch with Ed’s tour of his current family farm , however the combine harvester had a puncture and his daughter was down with a virus , so the farm house was quarantined and the wheat cutting display cancelled

Biggenden , however still had a few sites to see before we completed our loop , via Maryborough and back to the cool evening of Hervey Bay . Lady was in waiting for her evening walk before the thunder storms and rain struck

Hot weather has hit us hard . But my job as a dog walker has been fairly seriously hampered . Lady the little black pooch basically digs her feet in and heads for the shade ! So early morning and late evening trips are the future

But that doesn’t stop me . Lady may be hiding under the sofa

But I can head out into the bush and clamber through snake infested swamps

My own bridge making efforts. And it gets hotter tomorrow

Grass cutter

Today was dominated by the grass cutter . After plenty of rain , sun and warmth our grass was growing

Aussies all have petrol mowers , I’d broken ours on trying to start it . Snapping the string .

Good old Keith , an old country boy if 84 , diagnosed the problem, but it was unfixable.

Bless him , they then stuck his heavy mower and ours on his Ute , drove them to Bradman way, but made me cut the grass in 30 degree heat

Finally , we nearly came last in the quiz

Where’s the rainbow?

So Charlie was up early to catch the rip before the crowds and then chasing the big storm to Byron . We followed a few hours behind

The sun was out , it was hot and Noosa was packed . So I jumped out of the car with plenty of water and left the ladies to potter around town

The coastal trail into the Noosa Heads NP was as rammed as the surf , but numbers thinned as everyone wilted

Leaving the inland trails to me and the Gums

After seeing off the Hawlings , I persuaded Anita that Rainbow Beach was worth a visit . When the tarmac road was replaced by dirt track on my short cut & the beach was rainbowless , Anita was less than impressed. 4wd on the beach a few Km’s south the cliffs have a bit of colour in them !

Ella and Charlie bring a storm

Ella and Charlie arrived Friday night bringing terrible rain and storms. The worst weather so far . Our phones continually receiving flood warnings .

Not really relevant for us , but as we set off for Saturday morning brunch the ducks were taking no precautions and heading for high ground

So we went West to Toogoom , good job we booked !

After a hearty feast ! Interesting muesli and yoghurt presented without the yoghurt

Depressions and troughs

Lots of bad weather sweeping in from the west

So , a day only for sheltering on the esplanade

Lots of troughs moving in from the west . Dumping 100mm on western Queensland, who need it and also NSW and Victoria hinterland who don’t.

Normally all drops on the coast not in land

Quiz night 2

Tuesday was really all about the Quiz . Our second attempt to win the first on the buzzer trivia at the Bayswater Hotel , so we had to get out and calm our nerves

Plan a failed as dogs aren’t allowed in Reservation as well as NP’s , so headed for the beach

A long and fairly empty stretch of beach west of Hervey Bay

Dogs are allowed off leash , reducing pre quiz stress

Spent a sunnier afternoon, relaxing at Point Vernon with Anita sketching

So the Dorset Devils went into the quiz , with fairly low expectations. Only hoping to beat the Humpbacks ( in photo)

We ended 13th , Anita was robbed in the activity section ( 15pts) . Fortunately the Humpbacks blew quite a few pts on failed wild guesses

Graham’s Sister

After Anita’s early Aqua Pilates we had arranged to meet Hilary and Keith for coffee

Hilary was English and the sister of Graham Edwards , our minister from Stockton who spoke at our wedding

She also grew up in London with Sarah , Charlie’s ( Ella’s husband ) mother

She is married to Keith , a local lad from the outback . Their speciality is outback tours . Well taking friends and family to small Aussie towns .

So we’re off on a trip later this week

After coffee , wandered round to the harbour with the dog

Lunch with the Vicar

Some of Australia is a little like living in the past . Sometimes mixing with the locals takes you back in time and today , church and then lunch at the vicarage ( well vicar’s cottage ) seemed a little “ old Australia “ . A classic lasagna , combined with chicken casserole followed by tinned fruit and ice cream- very sweet

Anyway my reward a 12k dog walk along the disused railway line into the bush

Doing our bit

Today we looked after some poor needy local man . Well , a young English doctor who needed help moving house . So we spent most of the day driving around the area picking up bits of furniture

He had no electricity in his new house for the weekend and tonsillitis, so I said we’d feed him

After a couple of drinks at the poshest ( only ) wine bar we picked him up . Poor lad was sitting in the dark, so we invited him for bnb and evening meal ( sadly he slept in on Sunday and missed b )

Busy Friday

Finishing our first week in Hervey Bay with a busy , sunny Friday . Early start with our new friend big Chris the local minister at his Bible study group . Always good to feel so young . And fixed me up with some work for Saturday ( every day is Saturday