It's a long way to Townsville

Australia is a HUGE country!  We forget just how big it is when we stay in one place for a while.  Our last post was from Armidale, New South Wales, and we had travelled almost 800km from Canberra to get there.



After a few days of sunny autumn weather, we left Armidale and drove into the mist, along Waterfall Way.  The temperature stuck stubbornly to 11C and visibility was poor as we made our way to Dorrigo, where we stopped for lunch in the carpark of The Rainforest Centre.  We had planned to stop at the lovely Ebor Falls, but the carpark was full.  From Dorrigo we broke out of the cloud as we ventured down the windy road to the coast past the spectacular waterfalls that the road is named for. Our main reason for driving this way was to visit our grand-daughter who lives at Repton, near the mouth of the Bellinger River and about 30km south of Coffs Harbour. It was great to catch up with her and other friends in the area.  Once again we stayed at the Urunga Heads Holiday Park, a grassy caravan park right on the lagoon.




After a couple of days we headed north again and after a night camped at Woodenbong in the mountains we made our way over the border into Queensland.  From Woodenbong we made the short trip to Warwick, 85km away, to make some enquiries about getting some changes made to the stone guard on the front of the caravan.  Alas, not to eventuate due to our configuration.  Oh well, Warwick is a nice town to spend a night in.



Because we had plenty of time, we decided to detour to Yelarbon, about 50km east of Goondiwindi to visit some people we had met up with several years ago when we first started travelling.  Yelarbon has a great little Recreational Campground with lovely gardens which are maintained by volunteers.  From there we headed towards Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast.  We stayed at Cecil Plains, where the cotton on the side of the road looks like snow, and from there drove to Blackbutt, a lovely historic town at the top of the Blackbutt Range.

We spent 10 days in Maroochydore as Bushtracker completed some insurance and maintenance work on the caravan.  Once again, we stayed at the Alex Beach Cabins at Alexandra Headland.  Great walks around the lake, great coffee at the Surf Club and great fish and chips at the nearby takeaway!  It was a good opportunity to do "normal" things like see some movies and get haircuts.

After 10 days we were glad to get back onto the road for the long drive to Townsville.  It's funny that when we cross the border into Queensland, we always feel much closer to Townsville.  The feeling soon disappears when we see signs that let us know we still have 1,200km to go after we leave Maroochydore - we're not even halfway!!  This time though we'll be travelling fairly quickly (for us) and will cover the distance in 4 days, free camping all the way.

We travelled along the Burnett Highway and camped at the popular Ban Ban Springs Campground.  The springs usually run with fresh potable water but the lack of rain meant that the spring was not running.  The next morning, an hour along the road we stopped at the RM Williams Learning Centre.  This museum tells the story of Reg (RM) Williams, a bushman who started the iconic horseman's boots, saddles, clothing and accessories products in South Australia.  His factory was in Adelaide and he settled at Eidsvold in Queensland, where he lived for many years.  We continued north and planned to have lunch at Biloela - but it was shut for the Show - so ended up at the local KFC which was the only place open!  From there it was turn left at the Capricorn Highway.  We're into the dry  tropics now.  We camped at a lovely campground at Duaringa.  We watched as the local bat population flew off at sunset to hunt for food and the next morning the Lioness Club had a fundraising breakfast.  After breakfast we were back on the road and at Dingo we turned right onto the Fitzroy Development Road - otherwise known as the "Cattle Road".  Although we were driving through cattle country, many properties have destocked due to the drought.

This was a new road for us and we enjoyed the drive through Nebo and Glenden to Collinsville where we'd spend our last night before Townsville.  This is coal mining country and many towns are feeling the effects of the downturn in the coal mining industry.  From Collinsville we made our way east towards the coast and then north through Ayr to Townsville.

Are we there yet??? For the next few weeks - YES!!