Day 154 - Ayr to Ilbilbie (south of Mackay)

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We were hoping to make some good distance today, getting up early and just driving south without any planned stops.

We drove through Ayr's twin town of Home Hill and then on to Bowen. From there we went to Proserpine and thought about going to Airlie Beach / Shute Harbour but we stayed on the highway.

We drove through sugar cane plantations that were being harvested and got to Mackay mid-afternoon.

We pushed on further, hoping to find a quiet spot near a creek or beach. We heard that there was a good camping spot near Ilbilbie so we went looking for that but the sun started to set and we decided to pull in near a relatively dry river bed.

The next morning, we looked out the window and noticed two young guys had launched a tinny (aluminium boat) earlier on. They were sitting in the boat or wandering up and down the bank or wading in the shallows. Not enough water to float their tinnie (but there was a croc sign....).

Of course, they must have been locals and soon the tide came in (about 2 to 3 metres) and they were off fishing.

(Note - photos attached are not ours)

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