Mackay to Emerald

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Friday morning we again had a quiet time. We relaxed in our room until about 11am and then went out to the track. It was sunny but cool, with the temperature staying under 20 degrees. We had lunch at the track and watched events. Plenty of people to chat to and athletics to watch. It was the second to last day of the program and all Senior events were over. The highlights were the U20s where there were some excellent races and good performances. Most events finished about 4pm and then Oceania had drinks for the officials and other hangers-on, like us, to celebrate the near completion of the champs. Yvonne was leaving the next morning as was Bob Snow so we said our goodbyes to them. As the sun set we drove Bob back to his lodgings as he is off to Saipan for the Pacific Mini Games in a couple of weeks.

For dinner we tried the Ban-Na Thai restaurant. It was a short walk from our motel and the food was recommended. It soon filled up so that was a good sign. We really enjoyed our dishes and added this to the list of good eating places in Mackay.

On Saturday, we set out in the morning to visit a beach called McEwen's!! I had seen it on my Google maps, so we had to grace the place with our presence. We drove past where the turn off for the track was and then through sugar cane fields. Mackay really is Sugar City. We arrived at a pretty settlement where most of the houses were pristine and down to the beach itself. It was not the white sand we expected but a dark, mangrove looking stretch of coast. Still, it was ours!! From there we went back to the Mackay Botanical Gardens. These are not far from the track. They centre on two lagoons and have a variety of plants and wildlife. I had forgotten to take a jumper and the wind was icy. We walked along a path down to a board walk which stretched out over one of the lagoons. There was abundant bird life there.It was a very peaceful spot but the cold wind was rather offputting. We returned to the car and drove back into town where we went to Canefield Central, a huge shopping mall near our accommodation. Here we strolled through some of the shops, stopping to buy me a long sleeved top from Rockman's which was out for only $8!! I was glad to put it on. We found a bookshop and opposite was a Coffee Club so had lunch there. Their Camembert, chicken and bacon flat grill was very tasty, washed down with some coffee. As we were leaving and trying to find where we had left the car, I suddenly realised I had left my phone on the table. Walking quickly back, someone else was at the table but said they had not seen a phone. Fortunately, though, I asked at the counter and the waitress had picked it up!! Phew!!



From there we drove back to the track for the last session. We went over to watch the U20 men's discus. A young man from Adelaide, Darcy Miller, was favourite to win and he was coached by Steve Larsson. He is very tall and quick across the circle. He will develop well in time. He won the event with a Championship record which was great. Back at the officials' area we chatted to Dennis Wilson and Trish Kinnane. I booked some tickets for our stay in Longreach, for the Stockman's Hall of Fame. I had trouble doing it on my phone, so in the end I rang them. The 1,000 metre relays were interesting to watch and then we were able to say our goodbyes to Josephine . The session finished about 2-30 so it was back to the motel. While relaxing there the Platinum Party at the Palace was being replayed on Channel 2 so we happily spent a couple of hours watching the amazing line-up.



I had booked at Roshni Indian Restaurant for dinner and again a short walk took us there at 7pm. This had lovely decor and again was well-patronised with many staff to look after us. We started with samosas which were OK and then, for some reason, waited a long time for our mains. During that time I tried to book through my phone for the Qantas Museum in Longreach. Bizarrely, the website would not accept our names as valid. So in the end I was Teresa Jones and Fletcher, Hugh Jones. That was acceptable!!! When our main courses arrived we had asked for medium spice. Much to our disappointment, there was no spice at all. The Goat Curry and Seafood Moilee were both well cooked but were very bland and certainly no hint of spice.As we had deliberately asked for them to be made hotter, we complained to the waiter. Eventually the manager came over to apologise and in the end took the cost down. The Cinnamon Club has nothing to worry about. I guess country townspeople do not like spicy food!



This morning, we were on the road by 8-30. We only had a four hour drive to Emerald where we were booked for the night. It was easy driving and, in fact, Fletcher drove the whole way. Our route took us through the Central Highlands of Queensland and deep into mining country. The roads were good and we saw many signs pointing to various mine sites. The country side was mainly barren fields edged with scrubby trees. Not much wildlife, apart from the birds eating the road kill. Saw several eagles doing that. We got into Emerald about 12-30 and drove through the streets looking for the centre of town. Did not have much luck. I followed Google Maps to the Mooraban Tavern where we stopped for a pub lunch. This had a much wider menu than most pub food. Fletcher ordered the Poseidon Schnitzel while I settled for a warm duck salad. When they arrived they were massive!! Fletch had two chicken breasts swamped in a creamy sauce with prawns and calamari while I had some excellent chunky duck pieces but the spinach salad filled an enormous bowl We enjoyed the meal but left three quarters of it on the plate.



We then drove to Morton Park. Here there is a giant easel containing a huge Van Gogh Sunflower painting. We've seen many large things but this was very tall. After that we went to the Town Hall. Travel Advisor said there was 250,000 year old fossilised tree out the front. We found that and also admired the War Memorial on the corner. Having seen two of the favoured sights of the town we found our motel and settled in. Tonight we will venture out to see if there is any fine dining here!!

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