CALLIOPE TO MOREE

CALLIOPE TO MOREE;
From St Lawrence we headed to Rockhampton to buy an air filter so once we found the Nissan dealer and bought the part we headed for Calliope River which is a popular free camp by the side of the river. We found a great spot overlooking the river which was pleasant. Once again it was very dry and a bit dusty but very picturesque. People are allowed to camp both sides of the river but fortunately it wasn’t too crowded.
The next day we drove into Gladstone to try and find the right a tool to undo the plug on the oil so Brian could change it. We visited the Marina there which is a beautiful area of lawns, playgrounds and parks as well as the boats. It was very relaxing. The tool we bought didnt fit so the oil remailed unchanged.
After leaving Calliope we headed inland towards Biloela. This is quite a lot of mining in this area so it is a thriving community. From there we headed to Theodore as there is a free camp right by the Dawson River and it even has hot showers. The countryside was very dry and drab. Theodore is a very neat little town and as you enter there is an avenue of palm trees. It was Sat when we arrived and the shops are closed and the town deserted.
The next day we went to Glebe Weir which is a popular spot for fishing and water skiing. Well what a shock we got to find the weir had virtually no water in it. However there was one benefit. There was only one other person there so it was very peaceful. The bird life was amazing and as we were 25kms from the highway it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. There was a large flock of emus grazing in the next paddock and lots of white cockatoos and galahs. A blossom tree was covered in large native bees as well as attracting butterflies and honeyeater birds.
A strong wind blew up the next morning which made it very dusty. As we were camped under a tree we moved to a safer spot that was grassy and we had a quiet day.
After leaving there we continued our journey south through a lovely little town called Taroom. In the main street is the Leichardt Tree where the explorer Ludwig Leichardt carved his initials in a tree on his one of his explorations. It is a massive tree but of course you can’t see the initials as it has grown over. It is the pride of the town.
Continuing south we passed through Miles. There is the most amazing Heritage Village here. You can walk into the post office, the bank, the grocery store, the hospital, the school, the barber, the butcher, the bakery, etc. Each one is set up as it would have been in the early days. If you ever pass through Miles make sure you visit this wonderful exhibiton and be prepared to spend hours there.
We found another free camp out of Condamine which is on the Condamine River. The reflections in the evening were beautiful. It was really cold that night so we knew we were heading south for sure – back to jumpers and jeans!!
We had an early start the next morning for the run to Moree. We stopped in Goondiwindi for a coffee. What a delightful town this is on the Queensland border.
When we arrived in Moree, I went into the hot artisan pools which are in the caravan park. They are very popular as the mineral waters are very good for you and supposedly help with arthritis and other aches and pains.
Tomorrow Jenny and Doug arrive in their new caravan and we will spend a few days with them before heading home.
This will be a great end to a wonderful trip On the Way to Anywhere.

BALGAL BEACH, ALLIGATOR CREEK & ST LAWRENCE

Balgal Beach, Alligator Creek, Seaforth and St Lawrence:
On the homeward run now but still OnTheWaytoAnywhere in that we don't really know where we will be staying next or how long we will stay.
We decided to return to Balgal Beach as it is such a great spot right on the beach and is also free. We arrived reasonably early and were lucky to get a spot. It was a hot day but if you sit up on the green grass on the foreshore in the shade you are very cool. We stayed for two nights here and then to Townsville for some shopping.
After leaving Townsville we found a great place in the Bowling Green National Park called Alligator Creek (no crocs and definitely no alligators!!) It is a peaceful place and we found a beautiful swimming hole which has pristine water surrounded by smooth rocks. It was lovely to cool down in the clear water. There were fish in the water so I came back with the snorkel and was surprised to see some big fish. In the leaf littered campsite the bush turkeys were scratching around and we saw some wallabies as well.
After leaving Alligator Creek we headed to Bowen again to catch up with the rellies and to do some more snorkelling. We all went to Horseshoe Bay and once again the water was as blue as blue. It is such a lovely area. We had a barbeque at our van site and Nikki was fascinated with the “caraban” and jumped down the step all evening.
Seaforth is a small town about 40 klms north of Mackay. You pass through some very pretty countryside and lots of cane fields to get there but unfortunately our GPS led us through some narrow dirt roads to a dead end, so the shortcut turned out to be a longcut!! The council park is right on the beach front and it overlooks the islands but the weather was overcast (first time in the whole trip) so they were hazy.         Some whistling ducks and lorikeets came scavenging for some food and were quite entertaining.
The next day we checked out Ball Bay which is nearby and it was a beautiful bay.  There was no-one in the campsite and we found a great spot but then were attacked by mosquitoes so reluctantly decided to move on.
We spent some time in Mackay replenishing supplies and then headed out. We don’t really like staying in the larger towns.
St Lawrence is a tiny town halfway between Mackay and Rockhampton. Anyone travelling this route knows it is a long boring drive so it was good to break the trip halfway. Better still there is a free campsite here so it is very popular with the grey nomads and there are even hot showers. The campsite overlooks some wetlands which are mainly drylands at the moment although there is a small lagoon that supports quite a lot of wild-life that can be viewed from a hide.
Driving into St Lawrence is like going back in time and the local grocery store was originally the local picture theatre is all made of corrugated iron which has rusted with age. The town suffered badly with the amalgamation of the councils which happened recently in QLD and any funds they had disappeared and now they are a forgotten little town.