Chapter 4 - Yeppoon Part 1

Day 17 – Friday 21 June - Yeppoon

Day one on the coast meant my first sunrise photo. Sunrise was set for  6:43 am and I was there on time - as were plenty of seagulls. There was not a cloud in the sky.

My first beach sunrise of the trip - they will get better

Two loads of washing were on the line by 7:50 am. A third load happened once Shirley rose and the beds were stripped.

We nipped into Yeppoon to do some basic shopping (milk, bread, beer, wine) and ran into friends David & Wendy at the Information centre.

Not much happened until after lunch when we went for a 3 km walk to the beach and back. We were surprised by the number of crabs that were trying to avoid us. The jeans are now either on the washing line or in the wardrobe (fingers crossed).

Chris, Shirley, Gill & Ray

Little guys about the size of a 20 cent piece
[but great photographers]

I followed a small elusive bird for some time and eventually got a half-decent photo. I believe it to be a Forest Kingfisher, although he was small enough to maybe be a juvenile.

Forest Kingfisher

Not much happened after our beach walk. Shirley and I had a great BBQ porterhouse steak for dinner, with some BBQ veggies & steamed veggies.

The TV is yet to be turned on this trip.

A bit of trivia for you. The 'Tropic of Capricorn' apparently moves north about fifteen metres every year. We are very close to that point at the moment, being just north of that line.

Day 18 – Saturday 22 June - Yeppoon

The weather for day two was a big contrast to the previous day. Overnight low around 18 degrees, 100% cloud coverage, balmy. No sunrise photo.
😞 

The four of us headed into Yeppoon to visit the Farmers Market. It was nowhere as good as the last time we went. Funny how markets are like that. Anyway we bought some goodies.

After lunch I headed to Emu Park Bowls Club and put my name down for a game of bowls tomorrow. I visited the local shopping centre and was amazed at the adjacent sign in the supermarket. Needless to say there are now prawns in our fridge and freezer.

Shirley and I are getting the impression that a lot of money has been spent on improvements in this area since we were last here.

Around 4pm we drove into Yeppoon and had a couple of drinks with friends from home, Wendy & David, at their caravan park.

Day 19 – Sunday 23 June - Yeppoon

There was no cloud so a sleep-in was in order, prior to a shower and BBQ bacon & eggs for breakfast.

I headed to bowls at Emu Park and was a bit concerned when I realised my opponent was nicknamed "Mad Cow". However "Mad Cow" was the 'Life' of the club and a lovely person as well. Her team also beat my team 21-20 on the last end.

'Mad Cow' and Chris

I duly arrived home and Shirley had prepared a prawn salad. It was a good day.

$14 per kg prawns and salad

Day 20 – Monday 24 June - Yeppoon

The day started clear and crisp, without a cloud in sight. By 7:45 a huge cloud front started to move in from the west.

Big cloud front from the west

By 9 am it was overhead. By 11:30 it was gone and we had a clear sky. Shirley and I had a 4 km beach walk to justify lunch.

Ray & I visited Bunnings, because we could.

The first batch of (Weber-cooked) scones for the trip hit the table fashionably late at 3:30. Lamb shanks & mash for dinner.

Day 21 – Tuesday 25 June - Yeppoon

Today was based around trying to finish what was incomplete yesterday - sort of nothing much at all. The day started with no cloud.

Shirley and I had a 3.2 km walk around Kemp beach. 

Kemp Beach

We had lunch, an ice-cream, another stroll. A bit of planning. Nothing much at all.

Around 5:30 we wandered over to the camp kitchen to listen to Bob Pacey - Bush Poet. We have seen & heard Bob before and he trundled out some old and new bush poems. It was an enjoyable 60 minutes.

Feel free to click here to read one of Bob's poems, or do an internet search for "The Entrapment Bill Kearns" for another great bush poem.

Day 22 – Wednesday 26 June - Yeppoon

The gentle rain came and went for most of the night - always very light. After a slow start six friends gathered at the Waterline Restaurant at the Keppel Bay Marina. Four mango smoothies and two banana smoothies were ordered and consumed. Although the weather was poor it was a pleasant get together.

L to R - Chris, Ray, Gill, Shirley, Wendy & David

The Marina

A Blue-Faced Honeyeater 

We pottered around the caravan for a while and then headed to Ray & Gill's caravan for happy hour and dinner. We were fed well, the chop suey was excellent. I later finished another book - maybe my fifth for the trip.

Day 23 – Thursday 27 June - Yeppoon

The rain moved from light to steady around 10 pm last night. By 7:30 am this morning we had had 64 mm in the 24 hour period - 48 mm since 10 pm. Mother nature is messing up my good sunrise photos, either with too many clouds, or none at all. As usual, I hope that the farmers are getting what they need.

Around 8 am I decided to head to the shower - with umbrella. My 35-year-old freebie umbrella (from computer company) decided that it was time to retire. It is now resting comfortably in the skip. The shower was delayed, and breakfast was brought forward.

Ray's Pork Ribs

By 9 am the rainfall had increased to 75 mm in the last 24 hours. Puddles and little creeks were common place around the park. Tents seemed to be less common than they were 24 hours ago. 😟

We decided on a bistro lunch so off to the Railway Hotel we went. Ray come out on top with a superb ribs lunch.

The rain continued until 8 pm topping out at 101 mm in the last 36 hours.

It was a warm and balmy night.

Day 24 – Friday 28 June - Yeppoon

It was overcast and humid - but no more rain - for the moment. A slow start included our exercises that were forgotten over the last two wet days.

A 4 km walk along the 'Yeppoon Pineapple Rail Trail' was our first adventure - so called because, in an earlier life, a railway used to run along the same path, picking up pineapples for market. It was an excellent walk, well paved, reasonably flat, and had plenty of flora - but no fauna.

Below - Views and Flora along the Yeppoon Pineapple Rail Trail

Some period of relaxation came with a roll for lunch, then a drive to Emu Park, a walk, another good sign in the supermarket and then an ice-cream.

The caravan park provided a sausage sizzle as an entree to our dinner. The temperature was still 20 degrees at 7:30 pm.

Day 25 – Saturday 29 June - Yeppoon

The rain restarted about 1 am and was measured at 17 mm when it eased around 6:30 am. The puddles quickly reappeared.

Another slow start, but eventually we headed into Yeppoon for a walk along the foreshore. It was a pleasant stroll. The navigator then suggested that we head north and we ended up with a walk along Bangalee beach, but not before we stopped to make sure that an Echidna got across the road. 

How cute can an Echidna be?

On the way home we were able to catch a couple of black cockatoos on camera - chewing some form of nuts.

Black Cockatoo

After lunch we all went for a 3 km walk along our local beach.

Chris, Gill, Shirley & Ray

Then it was time for a cuppa and a cake and a chat. Around 4:30 Ray and I drove around two km to the Causeway in an attempt to get a sunset photo. We liked what we saw.

Above - Photographers on location
Below - Sunset at the Causeway

Shirley found a recipe that we adapted to be a chorizo and prawn paella. It was superb.

Day 26 – Sunday 30 June - Yeppoon

The day started with a combination of fog and low cloud. I celebrated by heading to the laundry to join the queue. I was soon chatting to a young Dad who has just returned from Great Keppel Island and had to remedy an excess of wet clothes, etc - thanks to the recent rains. The dryers were getting a great work out.

It brought back memories of many years ago when we camped with tent and young children and rain. I wished him well on his journey back to chilly Melbourne. He seemed a nice guy. 

Some time later washing, showering and breakfast were all behind us - ready for the last day of the financial year.

Being the Sabbath (any excuse) we decided on a walk, then lunch. We drove into Yeppoon for a walk along Farnborough Beach. However the fog/low cloud got heavier and heavier as we got closer.

It was weird walking along a beach without being able to see either the trees along the foreshore or the horizon.

Alternative View of Farnborough Beach

Local Sea Fauna

We headed to Waterline Restaurant at the marina and had a magnificent meal, while listening to live music.

Above - Our menu choices
Below - Lunch

The rest of the afternoon was relaxing and chatting to Ray & Gill and watching a big new rig (car & caravan) try to manoeuvre onto a site and setup camp.

This is the end of Chapter 4. 

We have been away for 26 days and so far we have spent $38 per day on accommodation and $33 per day on diesel. We have travelled 3037 km (116 per day) and stayed at 10 different camping sites.

This post is Complete.
Last updated at 7:30 pm on Sunday 30 June 2024

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