Townsville to Leap

---

Townsville to The Leap Hotel, South Mackay.
Took off at 0839hrs, odometer 95849, temperature 20 degrees celsius.
Another drive down 'The Strand' and a visit to information in Townsville and on our way.
Our first stop Ayr, a sleepy little town on the Burdekin River in tropical North Queensland.
Here we visited the Ayr Nature Display.
A unique and rare display of more than 60,000 native fauna butterflies, shells and rocks. An example on display is the map of Australia made.
A lunch stop in the Ayr Plantation Park and a visit to information and we drove onto Bowen.
Bowen is on the top end of the Whitsundays, it is well known for it's diverse industries, mining, fishing and agriculture. Most famous for the Kensington Pride Mango.
We visited the Big Mango structure that is symbolic to the town.
There are several lookouts in the town but non suitable for towing the caravan up.
With many lovely beaches and bays we swam and snorkelled Horseshoe Bay. Small cosy, white sand and crystal clear water. Just metres from the shore we snorkelled the coral reef and saw colourful fish. The boys spotting a ray.
At 1530hrs we departed Bowen and travelled to Shute Harbour and Airlie Beach. Airlie Beach in the Whitsunday Region of Queensland. Population of approximately 8000 people. Airlie beach is one of the major departure points for the nearby Whitsunday Islands. The Whitsunday Islands were named by James Cook in 1770 as he passed 'the sailors paradise' on the Christian Festival Day of Whit Sunday.
On the Esplanade at Airlie beach we ate our pre prepared dinner as the sun went down, before heading off down the Bruce Hwy at 1815hrs to our final destination.
The Leap Hotel.
Legendary a powerful woman named Kowaha from a local native tribe; committed the ultimate sacrifice in 1867. As a result of this event, the Mt Mandarana Cliff and Valley became known as The Leap." The Hotel now stands as a reminder of this history and the legend of Kowaha.
Arriving at the Leap Hotel at 2030hrs, we set up in the dark then we brushed our teeth and went to bed.

---