Southwards Bound

After 6 weeks we've said goodbye to our family in Townsville and we're back on the road heading south.  We had a great time in this lush tropical city.  It's certainly a place we could live in.  We delayed our departure for a couple of weeks as we waited first for the a break in the rain in Townsville and then for the weather and roads to clear for our southwards journey.  Tropical Cyclone Oswald has left much devastation in it's wake and our hearts go our to those impacted.
We hitched up and drove off our lovely site (nature strip with water and electricity) on Wednesday 30th January 2013.  Our plan is to head west to Charters Towers then south towards Emerald.  We need to be at the Sunshine Coast in mid-February to have our caravan serviced.

Charters Towers provided a respite from the humidity of Townsville and although the temperature is hotter, it seems cooler.  The evenings are much cooler here than on the coast too.  Again we had a lovely grassy site at the Charters Towers Tourist Park.  We booked into the Ghosts of Gold movie held each evening in the amphitheatre at the top of Towers Hill.  We watched the spectacular sunset while we waited for Malcolm to begin his talk and short film about Charters Towers and it's history and people.  The town was built after gold was discovered by Jupiter Mosman in the mid 1800s and in it's hey-day was a thriving place with many goldmines.  There are still a couple of mines operating.  Charters Towers hosted The Goldfields Ashes over the Australia Day long weekend with some 232 cricket teams participating - another reason for our delayed departure.  Charters Towers seems to be the "Cricket Capital" of Queensland.

After a couple of days of R&R we headed south along the Gregory Development Road towards Emerald.  The recent rains have changed the landscape so that the red dirt of a few weeks ago is now covered with lush green grass.  We had thought we might break our journey at Belyando Crossing (pop. 5 and with a lovely grassy picnic area and caravan park at the service station) but decided to continue on to Capella, a place recommended by the lady at the Charters Towers Information Centre.

Clermont and Emerald are mining towns, and we passed by the waste heaps of the Clermont Coal Mine.  Capella, about half way between them, is a small town - a great choice for a week.  There's plenty to see in the area with a number of scenic drives to the gemfields and around the Peak Downs.  The rocky peaks are a stark contrast to the flat surrounding downs.  

We have a good shady site in the Capella Van-Park.  The skies are clear and although the days are hot, the nights are very pleasant.  It's good not to need the air-con as the fans provide enough relief and airflow.  There are a number of permanent residents at the park and a dip in the pool and happy hour beer are our daily social activities.