Friday, June 16th: We meet Dov, Rebecca and Kay at the Swiss Cake & Coffee Shop for breakfast as planned. Kay has some things to take care of before she leaves for Townsville. She plays harpsichord in a musical ensemble and actually transports the instrument in the back of her SUV. The four of us return to Rusty's market one last time and then go back to our apartment until it's time for Rick to pick up the hire (rental) car. We say goodbye to Dov and Rebecca; we've had a great time with them and really appreciate their taking us around. We hope we'll be seeing them somewhere soon. We've really enjoyed their company.

By 12:30 we're packed and ready to head south. Our goal is to reach Townsville this evening--about a 340k trip. Along the way we see acres and acres of sugar cane fields and the narrow gauge track on which the cane cars are moved from the fields to the rail lines. We take a detour to Etty Bay where cassowarys are reported to occasionally wander along the beach. The road winds up the hill from the main highway and down again to the beach. Before we reach the end of the road, we spot a cassowary walking in the grass on our left. Rory grabs the camera and takes several photos. We pull over and Rick gets out of the car to photograph Rory and the cassowary. This will go part way to replacing the cassowary photos Rick accidentally deleted earlier this week. Back on the Bruce Highway, we continue on the way to Townsville, but first stop at the Tourist Office in Tully to book a place to stay tonight. We've got another self-contained unit in a good location, and best of all, we don't have to hurry to get there. We find the place without much trouble, and, after unpacking some of our stuff, we walk two blocks to the Strand that parallels the coastline. After reviewing the menus at several restaurants, we choose "Yotz" on the beach for dinner. The food is delicious, well-prepared, and plentiful and it's all we can do to finish it. We return to our apartment and Rick studies our options for tomorrow. We'd like to stay two nights in the Mackay area, but can't find a place we like. We'll try the local Tourist Office in the morning before continuing south.

Saturday, June 17th: We're up and out by 9am. It's a gorgeous day,the first one we've had in two weeks. It's sunny and clear, with a slight breeze; the temperature's in the mid 20s (mid 70s F). Our apartment is in the shadow of Castle Hill. From the street, it looks like any Rocky Mountain town. We drive around the town, checking out The Strand in the daylight, and stopping at the Tourist Office. They aren't much help. The "i's" in Queensland aren't automated like the ones in WA, so there's no database of accomodations to query. No matter, we'll wait until we get closer to Mackay. We're looking at about 380k worth of driving, so we won't detour too often. We pass thru Bowen (and Queens Beach). We're looking for the "giant mango" (about 50 feet tall) and stop to ask directions at a small store along the highway. A man inside says, "yeah", he's heard of it, but it's "up wrongways". Rory at first takes this as directions, but then realizes he's telling us that it's upside down. When we find it, we have to agree with him: the sun-ripened red end is at the bottom, but should be at the top. However, maybe it's a paint contractor's malfunction, because the shape of the mango would indicate that it is indeed upright, but the coloring is reversed (greren at the top instead of at the bottom). This is the cause of great debate and embarassment for many Bowenites. Upon leaving Bowen, we pass thru Airlie Beach, Proserpine, and Seaforth, before reaching Mackay.

There are two Tourist Offices in Mackay and the one toward the southwest is where we stop for help with accomodations. The staffer, Katherine, is very helpful and in a few minutes we're on our way to check out the Ocean Resort Village. We choose a studio apartment facing the beach along the Coral Sea. Just down from our unit is a peacock with full tail, loitering outside one of the other units. We think he is waiting for a handout, and soon two small children toss him some bread. We take a couple of photos (what else?) and walk over to the beach. It's quite extensive and almost deserted. We do encounter a dog (named Diesel) the size of a horse and his owner (who's name we didn't ask). We're anticipating a remarkable sunset, but it never materializes. Shortly, we're off to find a couple of restaurants we've picked out of our Lonely Planet guidebook. They're on Mulherin, which is quite close, but there are no restaurants when we get there. We're thinking there must be some mistake until we realize we've gone to Mulherin Street and the restaurants are on Mulherin Drive. The latter is on the other side of the Pioneer River at the wharf. We make our way there, find one of the restaurants, but decide against eating there. We drive back into the CBD, park the car, and wander around looking at menus in restaurant windows. We choose a small place whose specials attract us and have a reasonably good dinner at a very reasonable price. Returning to the apartment, we're more than ready to relax and do some channel surfing on the telly.

Sunday, June 18th: Rick is up early and is in search of a grocery store while Rory gets a few extra minutes to sleep. We'll be going to the Finch Hatton Gorge and Broken River, both part of the Eungella National Park. We're hoping to see platypuses (platypi?) at the latter. On the way, we take a detour to check out the Kinchant Dam, which turns out to be a waste of time, but we do find a shortcut back to the main road to Eungella. So what if it was unsealed (not paved)! We turn right on the road to the Finch Hatton Gorge about 2k before the town of Finch Hatton. This will turn out to be an adventure, when the sealed road ends, and we have to ford several small streams as well. Our little Hyundai manages the challenge quite well and we reach the car park unscathed. We choose the short (2.6k roundtrip) hike to Araluen Falls rather than the Wheel of Fire Falls (5.6k roundtrip). The rainforest hike is easy, but not very interesting compared to other hikes we've done, but at least the Araluen Falls are worth the effort. We return to the car and reverse the drive back to the main road. We're hoping to find lunch in Finch Hatton. Today turns out to be carnival day there, and there are hundreds if not thousands of cars parked everywhere in Finch Hatton. We're lucky enough to both find a place to park nearby and a place to eat. Then it's off to Eungella (pronuounce "YUNG-illa"), Broken River and the platypuses. The drive takes us up into the Flinders Ranges on a winding road at a 12 degree incline. Just outside Eungella, we stop at the Sky Window lookout where the view of the Eungella National Park and valley below is spectacular. We're amazed at how chilly it is up here, having donned our jackets before beginning the short hike to the lookout.

Broken River appears to be just a place, not a town. We cross a narrow bridge and find an information office (that's closed) on the right and a car park on the left where there's a display and map directing us to the platypus viewing area. The best times for viewing are purported to be at dawn and dusk. Even though it's only a little after 3pm, we take the 100m hike anyway. We're prepared to wait until dusk if necessary. These little creatures are the world's only egg-laying mammals. They are nocturnal and very shy, so even most Aussies have never seen one in the wild. As we approach the viewing area, a large kookaburra lands just above us, gives us his distinctive laugh, and flies away without posing for any photos. The river flows across our view about 10 feet below the viewing platform. Within 5 minutes we spot our first platypus as he(?) swims out into the river from under the platform. Before we're done, we spot at least three more, not to mention a beautiful wampoo fruit dove perched on a tree branch across from us (and about 10 more people). We're thrilled with our good luck and spend about an hour here watching and taking numerous photos. We do a little more exploring of the area and discover a pied cormorant sitting on a large rock in the middle of the river. We've got about 75k back to Mackay and arrive back at our apartment before 6pm. Neither of us is hungry, so we'll make do with what we've got in the fridge and other snacks.

Monday, June 19th: Continuing our drive south, we're off just before 9am. It's drizzling and cloudy (again!). We've really had poor weather the last couple of weeks which is surprising since this is the beginning of the high season in north Queensland. We're aiming for Yeppoon, about 20km east of Rocky (Rockhampton). Why Yepppoon you might ask? Well, Rick had read about this town when he began planning our trip. It's right on the beach and has become a popular place for Aussie retirees. There isn't much to see between Mackay and Rocky except for the Capricorn Caves (just north of Rocky). We drive from rain into bright sunlight, back into rain, back into sun and finally, more rain! We reach the Caves just before noon and are lucky to catch the Noon tour of the Caves (A$18 each). The Capricorn Caves are so named because the are located just north of the Tropic of Capricorn. Unlike the Jewel Caves we visited in Augusta (what seems like eons ago), these caves are primarily at ground level. They are extensive and there are thousands of little batwings inhabiting them. They get all riled up when people come thru, expecially with flash photography, yet their "sonar" prevents them from flying into any of us. There are several "rooms" including "the cathedral" (where many weddings have been performed), "the junction" and "the belfry" (bats in the belfry) to name a few. The highlight for us is the "zig zag" a candlelight walk through a very narrow and winding passage that ends at a suspension bridge back to the entranceway. The tour takes about an hour and is well worth the tour fee.

Since it's still early, we do some "on the fly" trip planning and decide to press on to Gladstone rather than stay in Yeppoon (especially since it's still raining). It's only another 96k and we will have driven almost 500k by the time we're done for the day. In Gladstone, we find the "i" (what else) to book a room for the night and find out about the "industry tours" that Dov and Rebecca told us about. We take care of the latter first--the industry tour for Tuesday is the Tondoon Botanical Gardens (also recommended by Dov and Rebecca), so we book for the free tour at 10am. We've got a Jason's accomodation guide and find a self-contained apartment called Xenia Central. The staffer at the Tourist Office calls to check availability--there is! It's about a 5 minute drive and Efty greets us at reception. The studio apartment is perfect: looks brand new, is extremely well-equipped, very clean, and has a comfy bed. A cold breakfast and free washer and dryer are also part of the deal for A$80. It's as good or better than most of the places we've stayed in Oz!! We take the three block walk to the grocery store to replenish the basics. Around 6:30 we decide to walk to a local steak restaurant, but it's raining (again...), so we drive. Rick calls ahead to Tom in Brisbane to see if we can get into our apartment ("Morning Glory") a day early (Thursday instead of Friday). We can, which will make our transition from the hire car to the one included with the apartment a lot easier.

Tuesday, June 20th: UGH--more rain, but for the morning, it's only a light drizzle. We're a few minutes early for our 10am tour of the Tondoon Botanic Gardens. By the time the little tour starts, we've seen several kuckaburras. Our group consists of 7 people and three guides. The garden is only 20 years old and is laid out in sections representing the flora of the different regions of Queensland. As we begin, the rain increases and two people drop out as will two others a bit later on. By the time we're finished with our 90 minute tour, we've got one guide for each visitor. The lead guide, John, doesn't seem to want the tour to end and keeps asking if we want to see additional areas. None of us is about to say "no", so the walk continues with our guides pointing out different plants, trees, and "bush tucker"--anything that could be eaten safely--but we don't try any of it. He explains how the aborigines used the flora for various purposes. This tour was well worth our time and it was FREE!

It's about 11:30 when we leave Gladstone and the rain has picked up. We'll drive for the rest of the day through the heaviest rains we've seen since driving the Great Ocean Road (back in mid-April). It's still pouring when we reach Bundy (Bundaberg). We like how the Aussies shorten so many words and add "y"--like Brisy (for Brisbane) and mossy (for mosquito) and wonder at the inconsistency. For example, they don't call Melbourne "Melly"......We decide to stay in Bargara, a beach town about 11k outside Bundy, in another self-contained apartment, the Pacific Sun Motor Inn. Since it's only about 4pm when we're settled in, we decide to optimize our time and visit Schmeider's Cooperage, where they make wooden casks for sale to wineries and distilleries. They also have small ones (1, 2, and 4 litre sizes) for purchase. We watch a short video about how these little ones are made and spend a few minutes in their crafts shop. Rather than drive back to our room, we drive into the Bundaberg CBD. The tourist office in town should be closed by now, but isn't and we are able to get recommendations for dinner. After checking out menus of a few places, we settle on H2O, which is part of the Quality Inn on Quay Street, and enjoy another great meal. On the way back to the Pacific Sun, we fill up the car; petrol prices seem to be getting cheaper as we head farther south toward Brisbane. We've paid as much as A$1.56 per litre. Tonight we'll get it for A$1.287-- the least we've paid in Australia so far.

Wednesday, June 21st: HOORAY: SUN!!!!! The Bundaberg Rum Distillery Tour is at 10am and we're up and out by 9:00. Since we're in Bargara, a beach town, we spend some time on the local beach. With the sun shining on the black rocks that define the beach, it's a very pretty spot. Rory collects a few more shells while Rick adds to the over 2500 photos we've already taken. We arrive at the Distillery Tour at 9:45 just after a big tour bus--and the 10am tour is full. We're not interested enough in rum distillery to wait an hour until 11:00 so we decide to visit the Turtle Rookery in Mon Repos (between Bargara and Bundy). There isn't much activity at the Rookery because the loggerhead and green turtle nesting season doesn't begin until December, but on the way to the Information Centre we encounter a lizard along the side of the road. We have no idea what type he is, but he's brownish gray and about two feet long from nose to tail. By Florida standards, he looks like Godzilla. Just as we're about to take his picture, he darts across the road, into the brush, and dives into a small pond. There's an extensive display at the Centre. We take the south boardwalk to the beach and on the way, Rory spots an Eastern Rosella (bird) that we haven't seen before. On the beach, which is practically deserted, a couple is videoing their new puppy. He's a 7-week-old Rhodesian Ridgeback/labrador mix (named Bic) and is just as frisky as he can be. He takes to Rick immediately and next goes for Rory's sneaker lace. On the way back to Bundy, we look for the lizard, but don't see him. In Bundy, we take a short walk in the CBD admiring the late 19th/early 20th century architecture.

We reach Childers a little after noon, and just in time to stop for lunch at the Sticky Beaks Restaurant and Exotic Jam Factory. Their specialty is wood fired pizza and we define our own veggie pizza and watch it being cooked in the outdoor oven. Together with a couple of Toohey's Olds we get from the Roadhouse next door, we enjoy a nice al fresco lunch--perhaps the best we've had. Max and Trish are the owners; Trish is on holiday in Italy, but Max takes our photo, gives us a tip on a place to stay in Hervey Bay, and explains his philosophy for running his business. Before hitting the road again, we review our maps to choose a destination for spending the night. We decide on the Noosa Heads area, another stretch of Sunshine (?) Coast beach towns. When we reach Gympie, we phone ahead and book a night at the Pacific Blue Apartments in Peregian Beach. Just outside of Tewantin, we see a sign for a scenic lookout and take a short detour up a steep hill. At the car park, we take the 500m trail to the summit for a 360 degree look at the Noosa Heads and surroundings. There's a huge rainbow and we can see the entire span. We can also see a fast moving rain shower, but proceed to the top anyway. The rain seems to move around the hill, so we avoid getting wet. When we return to the car, the dark clouds have set in and by the time we get to the Noosa area, it's pouring as hard as it has on our entire trip. The map we have of the area is somewhat confusing and we navigate through an endless number of roundabouts before finally finding David Low Way and, ultimately, our destination. We are greeted at reception by a huge dog (another Jake) who is afraid of the rain! Our apartment is larger than the studios we've been staying in--plenty of room to spread out. When the rain decreases to a light drizzle, we drive to the nearby shopping center and settle on a Chinese place for dinner.

Thursday, June 22nd: Surprise!! It's raining again. We've about had it with Queensland weather. Everyone tells us that this is what they normally get in (their) winter. Sure!! We're glad they're getting much needed rain, but would have preferred it wait a couple of weeks.... Since we're bout 90k from Brisbane, we'll take our time today. Our destination is Maleny and the Glass House Mountains. Dov and Rebecca recommended we stop in Maleny; there's a bakery that sells really good rye bread. The Glass House Mountains are noted for their scenic drives and the remains of tree-covered volcanos (inactive). Maleny is very picturesque and in hindsight, we might have been better driving here yesterday, since our stay at the beach was pretty well ruined by the rain. The road that bypasses Maleny and overlooks the valley is lined with some of the most elaborate homes (with magnificent views) we've seen. The town itself consists of a long main street lined with shops, restaurants, and other retail stores. We have no trouble finding the bakery and buy a fresh walnut rye bread that Rick is dying to try, but we'll wait until we get to Brisbane so it doesn't go stale. The rain picks up, so we duck into a small cooperative artist gallery. When the rain abates, we head back to the car, and proceed on the scenic drive. By the time we reach the turnoff to the scenic lookout, it's stopped raining and the sun is struggling to peek out. The view of all the mountain peaks is well worth the trip. There are 10 peaks and we make it a point to save the brochure that lists which is which for the Queensland Coast portion of our website.