Myella Ranch/Great Keppel Island/ Rockhampton

---

gday all!
Sorry havent updated these pages in ages - never finding the time at the mo!! Next stop for us was Rockhampton ( known as 'Rocky' to its friends!). We stayed in this pretty grotty city as a gateway for me to go to Myella Ranch for afew days to get my horse fix as am missing little Sheen an awful lot! The best thing that could be said about Rocky is that it is the Steak capital of Oz - although we never actually experianced any! I waved a tearful ( ok maybe not!) goodbye to Matt for afew days ( think he was glad to be rid for afew days!) and he went off to Great Keppel Island for some intense snorkelling. I arrived early at the ranch on the first day, to be given my steed for the day - Rebel - a 15hh dun tank/Quarter Horse - built like a rugby player of the horse world!! He was pretty good although did nap towards his friends and gates abit! he defo knew the way home! The countryside was beautiful and we rode for about 2 1/2 hrs around the farm's land. The were roos running around all over and kookaburras laughing at us from trees everywhere. Gorgeous place - very quiet and relaxing. They ride kind of a cross between Western and English, but i was soon feeling the fact that i hadnt ridden in 6 weeks! Sore bum for afew days!!! On the ranch we had 2 baby wallabies/roos ( i named them Madge and Harold as they were like an old married couple!) that were being hand reared so i whiled away many an hour playing with and cuddling them in their custom made pouches! Soooo cute!! Spent rest of day doing farm like duties - getting cows in for milking in the morn, feeding horses out in paddocks hay ( West House livery girlies - its so much easier/more fun throwing out hay to horses from the back of a pick up - shall i suggest it to Marg?!?) and relaxing by the pool. Had a go at Lassoeing aswell and was surprisingly good!! Beginners luck methinks! Second day very similar to the first, but as they established that i could defo ride i was given a little 14hh speed demon called Chocolate who was gone in a flash the minute my legs touched her sides - much fun! Headed back to Rocky that night, and after a very disjointed convo with Matt on a crappy payphone - established that Great Keppel was sooo amazing that i had to go out and join him for an extra day there. So off i went . . . ! He was right though - it is a really untouched little island ( no roads, just a couple of hostels by where the ferry lands ). He had met up with a good crew, and we all headed out for a snorkel. It turned out to be a mammoth 3 hr snorkel session around about 3 headlands amd right out to the reef ( was shattered by the end!), but was well worth it as the fish were amazing and i saw my first turtle!!! I was so excited as i stumbled across it - im not sure who was more scared, him or me! I followd him for abit, but was too busy trying to shout 'turtle' to everyone else, and lost him! Fabulous creatures though - v.graceful in the water!

Thats was really it for Rocky/Keppel/Ranch - next stop Airlie Beach for some sailing - bring it on!!

Sirry cant get any pics on at the mo - apparently no hostels have card readers around here! Wiil try soon promise

xxxxx

---