Day 211 - Thursday 27 July - Capricorn Coast Scenic Loop

Day 211

Thursday

27 July 2017 –

Rockhampton – Yeppoon – Emu Park

I didn’t sleep brilliantly and was quite happy to stay snuggled down amongst the quilt until I had to get out and go to the loo. Walking to the toilet block provided a good view over the valley, a long line of fog followed the river out towards Rockhampton.

I returned to bed and read for a while before getting out and having breakfast. We weren’t having showers this morning as we were advised they would be warm from 4 – 8pm as the water is wood fire heated. We chatted to Robyn, who came past to check on everyone, then we made up lunch, packed ourselves into the car and began our day, but not before Paul dropped the yabbie pots in the nearby creek. 

The tourist book had suggested following the Capricorn Tourist drive that would take in the seaside areas of Yeppoon and Emu Park and that seemed like a good way to spend the day. We stopped first at the dump point to drain our toilet cassette and then we picked up the Tourist Route 10 and made our way East, passing by Jim Crow National Park Giant pointy lumps of land just surfaced from the earth like pimples.

We eventually arrived in Yeppoon, about 30kms from Fardooley’s, parked and began our exploration. There is an esplanade with walking paths and a kiddies’ water play area called Keppel Kraken. We walked in one direction along the path, checking out the view of Great Keppel Island and North Keppel Island before walking in the opposite direction.

We stopped to talk to some fellow Victorian travellers, enjoying the chance to chat about our travels and of course footy. We made our way to a beach side caravan park before we turned around and made our way back through the town and to the car.

Our next destination was Rosslyn Bay Marina, where ferries take tourists to Great Keppel Island. We walked along a shaded footpath, up hill to two lookouts that provided great views of the islands, the water that looked like it had been painted by a water-colour artist and the great rock cliffs where the columns of stone fanned out. 

The second lookout provided good views over the marina and back to the main beaches of Yeppoon. We watched fellow walkers hiking up the large hill next to the marina and by the time we reached the car we could see them standing at the peak.

We drove on to Emu Park, stopping when we saw picnic tables  and sat to have our lunch before I did a quick walk over the beach access trail. I stopped when it became obvious it was a bit of a hike and could see a better spot further around the point that we could drive to.

We returned to the car and drove around to the centre of the small seaside town, parked once again and then walked down the street to the jetty. We walked to the end, met a couple staying at Fardooley’s. As we chatted a skin diver broke the surface and hauled his catch onto the stone steps, a large barramundi he had speared. It had Paul thinking about getting his fishing gear out, but in the end he opted not to.

We walked along the boardwalk, a tribute to servicemen and women, with a number of commemorative art pieces to check out. It also provided great views of the area.

By now Paul was in need of a beer and spying a pub, we crossed the road, ordered a drink and sat at a window seat to enjoy our drinks and the view. On days like this, I still pinch myself to make sure this is real and we are lucky enough to be “Living the dream”. Winter in Queensland is certainly wonderful.

When we had finished our drinks, we returned to the car and then completed the tourist route heading towards Rockhampton. We opted not to return to the city, but rather grab petrol and then make our way back to Fardooley’s.

Paul stopped to pull his yabbie pots while I opted to walk the remainder of the journey. It was warm in the sun and it was all up hill. Paul zoomed past me on his return and I met him at the van a few minutes later. He only caught a turtle, so we weren’t to be eating like kings tonight.

After unpacking, I sat outside to enjoy the sun and catch up on the blog bits. There were new people in the park, young foreigners and a family. I figured it would make drinks interesting. 

Paul went off for his shower and I followed shortly after and at 5pm we followed the precession up the hill to Fardooley’s bar, made our selves at home and began to chat with the owners and their son Brad and Daughter in Law, Amanda. Slowly others joined us and we became caught up in other conversations which ilicited many laughs and some great tips on places to camp. I don’t think the young German boys from Munich knew what was going on and left early on, along with the German family. I slipped out as they did to take some photos of the sunset before returning to the action.

Rita and her partner, Gulag, as I referred to him, German-Australians from Ipswich, started the night on a downward spiral into fun and frivolity when they insisted on bringing out the karaoke. Most avoided the microphone, but once the drinks kicked in it was anyone’s game. Paul gladly joined in, dueting with Gulag on a few Elvis songs, before gamely taking centre stage.

As the night went on, people began to return to their van for dinner and it became my turn to shine. Taking the mic like a real rock diva, I belted out tunes; Nut Bush City Limits, I’m a Believer, La Bamba and Do You Love Me, had never sounded so good and I was crowned a “Star of Fardooley’s Bar”. We did get one song on video, a duet of sorts of the Billy Joel song “You May be Right” that will likely never see the light of day, besides the singing, there was plenty of flashing, mainly the men and no doubt other things that will be buried with me.

By 9pm we finished off with New York New York and we made it back to the van ready to sleep. Three banana liquers and milk for dinner and Paul with his beers and then plenty of whisky being thrown his way by Brad meant we would probably pay for it in the morning.