Blogs from Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 2

We both slept in until 11am and decided we needed a rest day so we didn’t do anything much today. We did have a short walk around the Van Park and watch the birds. We then looked at the camp shop and bought an ice lolly each. As we walked back to the van we passed two birds in the paddock beside us, standing frozen, not moving a muscle. On investigation in the bird book, we think we’ve identified them as Bush Stone-Curlews, which is a vulnerable species. The freezing behaviour was the key. We’d noticed that the house batteries were very low after the long drive yesterday, which means the rear battery in the ute was not charging them as it’s supposed to. Barry set about trying to identify the problem, a slow process of ... read more

It was tough but it was time to leave the Sunshine Coast as our holidays were drawing to a close and we had to head on back to the Northern Territory, where hopefully we would be in for a busy Dry Season so at 1000 we fired up the car and were northward bound. A decision had not been made as to our route home until about an hour before our departure. It is nice sometimes to not be too regimented and go with the flow however some careful considerations needed to be taken. I like to watch the weather when travelling fairly closely because particularly in the Tropics at this time of year many factors can influence your journey. Cyclones can still form at this time of year and in fact they are expecting one ... read more

Unser nächstes Ziel, Rockhampton, war wiederum eine Zwischenetappe, um den langen Weg von Airlie Beach etwas erträglicher zu machen. Rockhampton ist quasi das Fleisch Mekka Australiens. Bisher haben wir das riesige Angebot für den Grill nur mit Staunen zur Kenntnis genommen, jetzt wissen wir auch woher das ganze Beef kommt. Die Fleischproduktion um Rockhampton hat ein Ausmass angenommen, dass es im Umkreis von 250km ca. 2,5 Millionen Rinder hat und entsprechend zum Himmel stinkt. Aussies lieben das Barbie (Grillieren). Das zeigt sich auch darin, dass das Gemüse um ein vielfaches teurer ist wie Fleisch. Selbst der Aufschnitt an der Theke kostet umgerechnet nur ein Pack Kaugummi. Gut investiertes Geld! Nachdem wir die Fillet Steaks verdrückt haben, war auch bald wieder Nachtruhe angesagt. Daher kann ich von Rockhampton nicht viel mehr erzählen. Der richtige Zeitpunkt um unser ... read more

With an ‘Extreme Fire Danger’ weather warning for the Darling Downs, we opted for an early start to avoid the heat and winds that strengthen as the day progresses. We were on the road by 6:35am. This wasn’t difficult as hoards of honey eaters noisily fed in the nearby flowering silky oak at the crack of dawn and heavy vehicles began thundering up the streets as the daily mining routines began. Our next destination was Theodore Junction at the small town of Theodore. This free camp/community site is run by the local Lion’s club. A lovely grassed area with BBQs, picnic tables, shady trees and water access is an attractive site for many grey nomads as they pass through this area of Queensland. An amenities block with toilets and hot showers are provided for use for ... read more

Well, SOMEONE'S got to need to be in Rockhampton! Motoguzzi man, a '10 pound pom' I met 2 hours north of here says you can't get a decent steak here in spite of its being the 'beef capital' of Oz. He now lives in Bunderberg so I suppose he should know. Infact it's much prettier than the Lonely Planet suggests inspite of drizzle and outsize steaks. This is my 1st internet access in Oz since Townsville. Mostly because I arrive in small towns late in the afternoon, a shade frazzled and after getting hozed down it's gone 5pm and any internet cafes that there may be are closed. However you've not missed too much in the last week or so. I've recovered from a bug or something which clobbered my appatite more than anything but still ... read more