Blogs from Mackay, Queensland, Australia, Oceania - page 6

MMMmmmmmm - fresh pineapple! Nothing like a warm, astringent mouthful to let you know you’re in the tropics. In the Mackay markets we buy fresh local pineapple, ginger and ocean barramundi to taste the tropical coast again. After five weeks going up through central NSW and into Queensland, with warm days but very chilly nights and mornings, it’s glorious to sit outside without jackets and beanies - although we still have to be covered up to counter aggressive mozzies. We’re constantly surprised by how crap the weather can be in Oz - I’ve vowed never to complain about New Zealand weather again. In Bathurst to spend a week with Torin and Andrea, we had rain and cold that would put Hamilton to shame. (They saved the scaredy old parents from having to drag the van over ... read more

Day 81 - Finch Hatton Gorge to Mackay Our wake up tune is 'The road is long, with many a winding turn' and today we hauled our tired little backsides out of bed at 6.30am, the tune began at 6 but it was just too cold to stir from the warmth of the doona! It had sounded like people were talking late into the night but as we crept from the caravan we realised that it was the creek chatting away! What a wondering sound it was. Off to the bush shower we trot to see if the water was warm enough and it was! We opened the wooden door and stepped inside, no frogs or creepy crawlies around, just the rainforest right next to us! The water was beautifully hot despite the outside temperature being ... read more

Also staring Jean Smith as Mummy Jean & Mike Reed as Mike Wallop Reed! You know when you've been Rednecked We headed straight into a garage at Batchelor to check Pris's leaky radiator, at her age she can't help dribbling, bless her, anyway, we were welcomed into the garage with open arms and a broad smile. “bring her in and pop the lid” said the happy go lucky Father Christmas looking chap, Ho Ho HO! So we did just that. “I normally charge 500 bucks just to look under the hood, Ho Ho Ho”. We were then greeted by a couple of Santa's little helpers, wishing us all the joy's of summer and dancing around the workshop, “we will fix her, we will fix her” they sang! “I @&*^ hate these cars you know, people die ... read more

Day 214: Thursday 29th January - A relaxing day in Mackay So much for a lie in this morning. The dorm I’m staying in is full of people getting up early to go to work. Mackay like Gladstone isn’t really on the backpacker circuit and most people staying here are working. Anyway, I need to be up to see what the options are to get to the Eungella national park, home to the duckbilled platypus. I found out last night that there was no tour going from the hostel so I went to sleep thinking that hiring a car today was the best option. Wanda, who runs the hostel finds out that it will be $73 to hire a car for the day so similar in price to what the tour would cost. The only drawbacks ... read more

So where were we? Ah yes, we've left Cairns and are now on our drive down to Brisbane. We stopped for an afternoon and a night in Townsville, a pretty unremarkable town ( think Gloucester, without the Cathedral, without the history, with the shopping centre but a bit more down-at-heel). However, a 20 minute ferry ride away is Magnetic Island, at this time of year a beautiful, sleepy little beach filled place. It was much more fun than staying in town. I think we should start a poll - who would like to travel with jb? doesn't he just love everything? and disagree with just about everything? cute eh? Well you know Townsville wasn't the cutest place -but it sure as hell wasn't cold.......Mackay isn't cold either but it has shopping malls - mmmm who really ... read more