Mt Archer, Yeppoon, Emu Park

Yesterday we drove up Mt Archer (604 metres) to a couple of lookouts, one looking over the city of Rockhampton, another (reached by a short walk we thought would never end!) towards the sea, about 40km away.  It was very hazy so the views weren't so great, but we could make out some of the islands in the big bay. One of them is Great Keppel, which has a resort on it. The view over the city was enlightening and helped us get our bearings.  It was easy to see the wide Fitzroy River and the bridge near the caravan park.

Rockhampton is a pleasant city of about 80,0000 population. It has many lovely parks with huge shade trees, wide streets, bike paths, and a number of regional shopping centres, one of which is enormous.  The climate is   warm, but at the moment quite a pleasant 28 degrees without high humidity.  I suppose it might not be so pleasant in the summer.  It's 40 kilometres inland but we've had cool breezes.

Today we drove to Yeppoon, a coastal resort area with many apartments and posh homes-with-a-view. The foreshore area is nicely done, with walks and shady bits, but the beach itself is a let-down.  The tide goes out forever, so that if you wanted a swim, you would die of exhaustion from walking across the mudflats before you reached the pitiful waves.  It looks as if you'd have to keep on walking for quite a time before the water reached your knees.  No doubt it's prettier at high tide, but even then the beach is  not what I call sand, more like a cross between sand and mud.

We enjoyed a coffee in a foreshore development (but don't you sometimes wish you could deduct the tip when the service is bad?) We then drove along the waterfront as much as possible, stopping at a shady table to eat our packed lunch (we are grey nomads, you know- don't buy it if you can make it).  There were some strange unfinished buildings there, as if someone was trying to build a Polynesian resort complete with palm-thatched roofs, but ran out of money)- oddly, the sign on the gate said it belonged to a man with the same name as one of his former pupils-NOT one he remembers fondly.  An unusual name, so one wonders).

Finally we reached Emu Park, where Chris and Barb stayed with their parents 58 years ago.  Barbara gained a badly split lip from a fall on Yeppoon breakwater, which Chris photographed to show her that she must have actually broken it and they had to build a new one.

Chris says the old breakwater was much longer so Wow! Barbara, you must have come down like a ton of bricks to demolish it!

There are still signs warning of emus near Emu Park but we didn't see any today, just a fairly sleepy little coastal town.  The family stayed in a hotel which is no longer here, and which featured a huge crocodile, also no longer here, though two of the Tourist Info people at Rocky said they remembered it.  And yes, there are crocs in the area, which surprised me, I thought they were much further north.  (Note to self: no strolling on nearby riverbank in the evening.) Not that that's likely, I take myself into the van fairly early every afternoon because those blessed midges I think I may have mentioned back in Narrabri or thereabouts are still plaguing me.  Not wanting to bathe in Aerogard every day, it's easier to stay inside.  Chris puts up with them but quite frankly they don't love him as much as they love me.