Whitsunday Coast - Flight School Oz

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We left the Town of 1770 campsite and drove about 300 km north up to Yeppoon, near Rockhampton, staying a night at the Beachside Caravan Park in Yeppoon before doing the next 350 km stretch up to Mackay.

The road from Rockhampton to Mackay is long and lonely, with only a few small townships dotted along. And as we feel every bump we go over in our Bond-mobile, the past few days of long drives have been a bit testing.

We counted teens of road-kill roos along these long stretches of road; it's illegal to swerve to avoid an animal on the roads here, so it's coco pops for umpteen poor roos each night on the roads of Oz...

We spent a couple of nights communing with nature at a remote wilderness camp at Cape Hillsborough, with roos hopping all around the park and on the beach. And we had more jacket spuds on the campfire!

We then made tracks a bit further north to Airlie Beach, gateway to the Whitsunday Islands. Airlie Beach is a bit of a party town where the backpackers' places sit comfortably with the up-market establishments. We've clocked lots of Wicked vans here, so we felt quite at home parking up in town.

And, like pigs with truffles, the Lichmeister sniffed out the airport and the helicopter flight school - right next to the Flametree campground, how convenient! The Lichmeister had a lesson and felt reassured that he remembers what to do after not having flown for 3 months. He flew up the Whitsunday Coast and saw turtles and dolphins in the sea as he practiced his Captain Airwofl manouvres.

And at the Flametree campsite we've had nightly visits from the resident possums, tempted by offerings of bread and peanuts from Lich Doolittle. They're funny little things - a cross between a squirrel, a roo and a rat, with meerkat mannerisms. The little Munchkins are actually quite cute now I've got used to them.

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Photos

Flight School Oz
'Back in the bubble again, beauty!'

Fattening Up the Bush Turkey
... at Cape Hillsborough Nature Resort

Bush Turkey
... watch out for Bernard Matthews

Airlie Bay
... always something out to bite, sting or eat you in Oz!

Pre-Flight Check
'...ah I've missed you soooooo much, Jelly...'

Comments

[bob davies]

Just to say hello.
Hi both,hope that this finds you well and in good spirits.Sorry to have been out of touch for so long,I have missed so much of your travels,but have had fun reading your past blogs.You really have covered some miles....but i'm sure you have enjoyed every minute.Queenstown we liked,and Milford sound,strange of you to mention Twizel....we were only talking about it this week with some friends(we stayed the night on the way to the Banks Penninsular,what about Akaroa eh?Lovely place.So now you are in Aus.another adventure begins ! Great to see pics of Wyn........what was with the suit ??? 007 !Best wishes BD and Yol xx