Day 8 - Bargara, Bundaberg, Miriam Vale, Cape Palmerston

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Having had a solid nights’ sleep we were up early to get on the road as we had lost some time at Fraser Island. With 420km ahead we were packed up and ready to go just after 9.00am. Today we are heading to Cape Palmerston, which lies about 50km south of Mackay. As we leave Bargara we agree that this place was a pleasant surprise. We picked up some supplies from the ubiquitous Woolworths and we replaced our gas bottle at the local servo. Bundaberg first stop. No trip to Bundaberg would be complete without a pilgrimage to the Bundaberg rum distillery. Given that we were under a bit of time pressure we made do with a photo of the giant Bundy bottle outside the distillery. I could see Chris thinking that if only someone made very big roof racks. With that, we were off, next stop Miriam Vale.

The drive was without event apart from a couple of stops to take pictures of large things. The award for the most inexplicable big thing goes to the Big Giraffe. There were various sightings of other big things. These included a Crab, a Watermelon, Corn, a Whale, a beer barrel a crocodile and a Brahman Bull. As we reached Miriam Vale, Chris enthusiastically told me to stop as he needed to take a picture. He had spotted none other than the ‘Gary Larson Oval and Multi Sports Complex.’ Gary who? I hear you ask. It’s not the Gary Larson of the Far Side cartoon fame but the ex- Queensland and Australian rugby league player. He was Miriam Vale born and bred according to the locals (according to Wikipedia he was born in Gladstone, but don’t let those annoying facts get in the way). Big deal. I hear you say. It is, when the population of Miriam Vale is 422 and they don’t have a septic system in the town. That was what the woman in the café told me.

We did stop for a coffee at the local café, which was not called ‘the Far Side’ as Wilko suggested but was called Merle’s. The woman who served us saw an opportunity to break out of the tedium of Miriam Vale and saw Chris as her meal ticket. “You’re sweet enough already to have sugar in your coffee, aren’t you?” she said fluttering her eyes. But Chris was wise to it, ignored her and asked where the toilet was. Clearly deflated, after Chris headed across the street to the one toilet for public use, the woman felt the need to inform me of the sewerage workings of the town. We were soon on our way.

We made it to our destination whilst the sun was still up which was a bonus. The Cape Palmerston caravan park is very secluded and very empty and as such we had our choice of sites to pitch the tent. We found a spot close to the beach path. This really is a beautiful place. A walk through a tropical plant covered walkway opens out onto a spectacular beach. The beach is seemingly untouched by humans. This bit of coastline is inside the reef so there is minimal swell. It is subject to large tidal movements and we identified it as a good place to have a fish in the morning.

Once the tent was up we were joined by some resident Brush Turkeys which up until now I thought only resided in Mosman. I think that the good Lord was having a bad day when he put these things together. They offend every one of my senses. But on a lighter note, there was some very cute wallabies grazing near us, whom, on seeing Chris, bolted. I get that.

We took the opportunity to deal with 8 days of washing that needed to be done and whilst that was under full cycle, Chris cooked a distant relative of the Brush Turkey for dinner. “You’ll be next” I threatened as I waved my eaten chicken bone at the insidious fowls.

And now boys and girls, the sun is down and the moon is up. As the moon glistens over the campsite, the two good friends, Christopher and Adam decide that it would be a very good idea to go to bed. Christopher and Adam have had a very busy day today and they need plenty of rest so when they wake up, they will be fresh for another big day. Who knows what large monuments to inanimate objects they will come across tomorrow and they want to be ready. Goodnight, children.

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