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Gladstone
Stunning harbour precinct. " People don't take trips....trips take people." John Steinbeck Whilst at
Yeppoon, we had noticed a large port to the north and drifting away from
Lake Awoonga, it made sense to go and check out
Gladstone which was only a matter of 30km away. The entry into this mid-sized town was dominated by industrial type buildings which made sense as this is a major port for the stuff the Aussies dig out of their mines. Industrial/commercial hubs tend not to impress but Gladstone was in the mould of all the towns seen thus far; neat, well laid out and bedecked with stunning parklands and manicured public spaces. Not the usual grimy, smoke infused mess reminding any visitor that a bit of industry keeps the place ticking. Having not caught a barramundi for dinner, Google came to the rescue and beautifully fresh blue salmon was purchased from a Fish Market in the marina precinct. Always has to be a “plan B”.
Back on the Bruce Highway and with a southerly heading, our destination was the coastal town of
Seventeen Seventy which was 132km away and cheek by jowl with another small coastal town,
Agnes Waters. Now, these are two interesting
1770 Walkway
Only in Australia would you have warning cones for a tree across the pathway. names for any towns anywhere, but in Australia unusual town names seems to be have been a weird “sport” played by the early settlers in the country along the lines of; “who has the most ridiculous name for this next spot we have settled in or on?”. If you don’t believe this observation, just look at a map of Australia and try and make sense of many town names. In the case of the former,
1770 was originally named Round Hill but 45 years ago its name was changed to commemorate James Cook’s first landing there on the Queensland Coast. In the case of the latter, it gets its name from a schooner, Agnes, which was lost at sea in the area some time prior to 1883.
Having done our homework via the internet and essential
Tripadvisor research, a few potential caravan/RV park options were available. Eliminating the busy and overcrowded parks from the others, we settled on the
Captain Cook Holiday Park which was set amidst a tall canopy of trees in park like surrounds. An ideal two-night spot. These RV’s are superbly equipped for grilling food, and sundowners were followed by grilled blue salmon. Bliss!
During
1770
A quaint secluded beach. the night a heavy downpour seemed to arrive out of nowhere followed by strong winds which bucked the trend of the sublimely good weather we had experienced in the prior weeks. By morning this had all disappeared and after a few routine camp chores, walking shoes were duly donned and there it was across the road in front of the RV Park; a walkway! In fact, 6kms of walkway linking these two towns, so off we went and about 2kms down the road was the stunning, rustic little hamlet of Seventeen Seventy. It has a beautifully shielded and quaint beach which punches above its weight claiming to be the most northerly spot on the Queensland coast for surfing. Right of the beach is a picturesque river mouth/estuary and it looked so fishable! Got over the thought and it was about brunch time so seats were duly taken at a really cute little café across the road from the beach. Scanned the menu carefully and settled for a calamari salad and chips to share. Great decision, as apart from not breaking the bank, the meal for one served up could easily have fed three fairly hungry adults. It has been an
1770
Delightful little cafe off the beach for lunch. observation in different places where we have ordered a meal; way too much food on a plate for one person. A really good meal was followed by a fairly lengthy walk back to the RV Park and just off the path along the way, there it was! A yellow-bellied snake (identified later) quietly doing what snakes do best, which is slithering along looking for something to snack on. A toxic little bugger per research.
The round-trip walk was just short of 6,5km and was duly rewarded with appropriate lunch time thirst quenchers and a quick scan of Garmin’s impressive walking log data confirmed that since our first step in Perth on 17
th April, total kms walked to date totalled 74,5. Worth every step.
The snake saga continued. Susan was busy washing dishes in the communal kitchen when a sound of distress echoed across the park emitted by none other than, Susan. There it was, a 1m brownish snake, slithering along through the kitchen area. No prize for guessing who did the washing up for the rest of our stay in this RV Park. GPS Sue had now added another creature to her list of things that she had
1770
Final instructions for any intrepid surfer! Only in Aus! developed a phobia about viz. stingers, salties (crocodiles), midges, sand flies and mosquitoes.
Late afternoon, a stroll through pristine coastal bush put me onto a deserted beach where I attempted catching the ever-elusive fish I have been hunting. Thankfully Sue rescued the increasingly desperate situation, arriving with a carry bag, and sundowners on this beach, with not a soul in sight, was a fitting end to a very active day.
On the walk back from the beach we spotted our first sighting of an Aussie mammal, apart from kangaroos seen to date. The strangest looking little creature crawled across the path in front of us and it can best be described as looking similar to a miniature porcupine. It was actually an Echidnia (spiny anteater) per the wisdom of Google and the other fascinating thing about this little fella is that the male has a four headed penis. Very complicated how it all works but there you go. The other interesting fact about Australia is that it does not have an indigenous antelope species at all. Those that happen to be there were all introduced by the Poms and others.
Before moving on from this dreamy little enclave the next morning, a brief visit was made to the Market held on a Sunday at the entrance to the town. The market thing has been very noticeable in many of the small towns visited thus far and they are generally held over a week end and sponsored/run by Rotary organisations. Lots of the good folk of the town and neighbouring areas pitch up and it is intriguing to stroll around and observe what goes on. Lots of stalls covering a wide range of goods, services and so forth including massage tents (?), miracle cures for all sorts of afflictions, second hand books, fresh farm produce, good old Chinese made junk and the most popular stalls being those selling food!
Back on the road, a moment of reflection revolved around the whole caravan/RV/camping phenomenon which is so evident given the significant numbers of these types of vehicles seen on the roads and in the Holiday Parks. When in doubt click on Mr Google. According to the Caravan Industry Association of Australia, their data reveals that 54.8 million nights were spent camping and caravanning for the year to end September 2018 which in turn represented 15% of all nights spent in accommodation around Australia for that period. A whole lot of numbers but the bottom line is that it is a big and growing market.
More important things to ponder over. Where to next?
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kaer Hushin
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