Leap Hotel to Boyne River

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Leap Hotel to The Boyne River.

An early start with the temperature a damp 15 degrees.The ladies toilets open early this morning, however closed all night. We departed at 0815hrs. Odometer 96320.
Our first stop was the Sarina.
Sarina lies just inland of the east coast of Queensland, 34 kilometres, south of Mackay, and approximately 300 kilometres north of Rockhampton. The Bruce Highway passes through the town.
Industries in Sarina include sugar cane growing and milling, cattle grazing and agriculture. It is a major supplier of ethanol through the CSR distillery attached to CSR's Plane Creek sugar mill.
Approximately 15 kilometres north is the second largest export coal terminal in Australia and one of the biggest coal distribution terminals in the world, Hay Point.

We visited the Sarina Sugar Shack. Next to the CSR Plain Creek Sugar Mill. Here we had a miniature tour and education on sugar cane farming and the processing of sugar, malaise and alcohol.
Impressed, we sampled the products, the kids eating fairy floss and adults sampling the alcohol. We then purchased some chutneys, lollies and alcohol products.

Passing numerous coal trains we continued along the Bruce Highway to the Clareview roadhouse where we ate lunch and fuelled up. Fuel cost $1.259cents per litre. Odometer reading 96472, Temperature 25 degrees celsius .
Again stopping for fuel and toilets at Rockhampton. fuel a little cheaper at $1.23cents per litre.
Rockhampton hosts a significant number of governmental, community and major business administrative offices for the central and coastal areas of of the Queensland.
Rockhampton experiences over 300 days of sunshine each year, which lends itself to tourism activities all year round and an abundance of outdoor activities.

Just prior to sunset at 1730hrs, we arrived at our camp for the night
The Boyne River, near the township of Benaraby
The township 20 kilometres from Gladstone
The Boyne river descends from the western slopes of The Great Dividing Range and flows generally north by east parallel with the Gladstone-Monto Road through the Boyne Valley The river enters Lake Awoonga where it flows east by north, crossed by the Bruce Highway, near Riverview, and finally discharging into Port Curtis and the Coral Sea. The river descends 371 metres over its 125-kilometre course.
The river was named in 1823 by John Oxley (explorer/surveyor) as it reminded him of the River Boyne in Ireland.
Preferring not to camp at the rest stop we set up right on the rocky base next to the water. An adventure getting down to the river with the caravan.
Here we set up had dinner, lit an open fire and then tried to catch the many fish jumping out of the water. Unsuccessful with fishing we rested for the night.
The large coal trains passing over the bridge near by.

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