Chris n Shirley's 2024 Winter Trip: Chapter 5

Day 27 – Monday 1 July - Great Keppel Island

The start of a new day, month and financial year presented a cloudy opportunity for a sunrise photo. So I took it. On the beach by 6:25 am. I was the first there. It was worth the effort.

Mulambin Beach at 6:39 am

By 7:30 am I had completed a 2 km walk, taken some sunrise photos, had a shower and updated this blog.

However, the best (for the day) was yet to come.

At 10:30 am the four of us caught the 'Freedom Adventurer' to Great Keppel Island. This was a huge day as Shirley is not a good sailor. The water was glass-like flat and the trip over was fine.

Our ride to and from Great Keppel Island

By 11:10 we had sand under our feet waiting for the glass bottom boat to take us over local reefs.

Our Glass Bottom Boat
[Photo courtesy of Ray]

That took about an hour as we saw lots of coral and (mostly small) fish. We also saw a Groper and a Sting-ray.

Above & Below - Photos from the glass bottom boat

Click here to see more photos..........

Chris, Shirley & Gill on the glass-bottom boat
[Photo courtesy of Ray]

Around 12:30 we were back on the beach. Shirley and Gill said goodbye to us and headed off to explore the island. Ray and I re-embarked on the Freedom Adventurer ready for a sausage-sizzle lunch and some snorkelling.

Pre-snorkelling lunch

The former was Ok - the latter was superb. We donned wetsuits to keep out the cold and grabbed a 'pool noodle' to manage the flotation. Masks and flippers were donned. Initial entry into the water was a shock, but the 'chill' improved as the wetsuit did its bit. The water temperature was allegedly around 21 degrees.

We did not take any photos from this activity as our under-water cameras were back in Melbourne. However the following (loaned) photos give an example of what we saw.

Above & Below - Photos taken by other snorkelers

The coral and fish on display were mind-boggling - most within one or two metres - many fish seemingly within reach, and seemingly without a care in the world.

While Ray and I snorkelled, Shirley and Gill dined on a fish burger at a local establishment.

Beach on Great Keppel Island
[Gill & Shirley pondering how to get to the ferry]
[Photo courtesy of Ray]

We met up around 2:45 and headed back to the Freedom Adventurer for the trip home around 3:30. It had been a great day.

A hot soapy shower was a good way to end the day - and remove salt residue from everywhere.

Day 28 – Tuesday 2 July - Yeppoon

The overnight forecast rain did not eventuate, giving departing campers time to pack up and depart with dry equipment. The sunrise was similar to yesterday but that was a guess as I was still in bed. It had been declared a 'slow day'.

A lamb roast was the suggested idea for dinner so we headed into Coles and procured a 2 kg hunk of meat. Around 4pm it was loaded into the Weber, with spuds, onion, sweet potato, carrots and onion added later. Much later cauli and broccoli were prepared on the hotplate. Gravy finished it off. The four of us were pretty happy with the outcome, although the carrots were a bit chewy.

Camping style roast lamb

Life is Ok.....................

Day 29 – Wednesday 3 July - Yeppoon

The first sound that we heard was the phone beeping to advise that the temperature back home was below zero. So we stayed in bed a little longer.

It was probably the most restful day of the trip to date, as the (better than Melbourne) weather was unimpressive. That changed after lunch so we headed to the Marina for a mango smoothie.

Around 5 pm Ray and I headed to the Causeway looking for another decent sunset photo. It was OK, but not spectacular.

Sunset from the Causeway Bridge looking over the Mulambin Creek

Dinner was a repeat of last night - left over roast lamb and freshly cooked veggies.

Day 30 – Thursday 4 July - Yeppoon

The day started breezy and went backwards from there. The wind got stronger and the rain started about 11am. My proposed outdoor birthday lunch was moved to an indoor venue.

Seafood Basket at Spinnaker

Shirley tabled a chocolate (birthday) mud cake for morning tea, which the four of us enjoyed.

We dined at the "Spinnaker" restaurant in Yeppoon and we all agreed that the food was excellent.

The weather centered around wind, rain, overcast - or a combination of all or some. It was an 'inside' day.

Shirley, Gill, Ray and I gathered in our caravan for Happy Hour in lieu of dinner. The wind gradually gathered intensity.

I had had a good birthday.

Day 31 – Friday 5 July - Yeppoon

The strong wind continued all night and into the morning. However the sun forced its way through the clouds and provided optimism.

Shirley decided on a drive to Byfield State Forest, home of the unique Byfield Fern. It was an easy 50 km drive. We checked out a couple of picnic and camping areas - not good places to be after significant rain. Refer to following photos.

Above & Below - Plenty of water in Byfield State Forest

We stopped for a coffee and milkshake at the Byfield General Store. It is the sort of place that you only find off the beaten track. The drinks were excellent and the food looked superb.

Byfield General Store

The strong winds deterred Shirley from a beach walk so some R&R took up most of the afternoon. I did find time to put a new handle in the tomahawk.

The strong wind continued into the evening.

Day 32 – Saturday 6 July - Yeppoon

I had a unique experience at 6:25 am this morning, stepping foot on a pristine beach. Not a footprint on the entire beach. The overnight very high tide had reached the foreshore foliage and everything on the beach had been washed to and above the very high water mark.

Panorama view of pristine Mulambin Beach, around 900 metres from left to right

The angry clouds again thwarted my idea of a good sunrise photo, but I enjoyed the walk and the fresh air.

Angry clouds winning the battle with the rising sun

The clothes were in the washing machine by 7 am. By 8am the clothes were blowing in the breeze, I had showered and had breakfast, and was ready to go to the Farmers Market with Ray. I came home with tomatoes, avocados and mandarins.

Shirley and I headed into town for a bit of shopping and on the way back I was able to get a photo of one of the Eastern Ospreys on its nest. The other parent flew off as I was getting ready for the photo.

Eastern Osprey parent on its nest

Ray wanted a companion for a walk so we drove to the Marina and went exploring. The weather was windy and the site was rugged. We found a nearby walk to 'Fan Rock' - a mere 750 metre return walk - all paved. The views were impressive. I did not wear my cap as I was scared of losing it.

Above - Chris at Fan Rock
Below - The Rosslyn Bay Marina from the Fan Rock lookout

Gill invited us over for Happy Hour, so we sheltered inside their caravan as the winds introduced rain into the equation. A couple of lamb chops became dinner.

Day 33 – Sunday 7 July - Yeppoon

Constant wind gusts over 30 km/h made me happy that I had put more than enough guy ropes and pegs off the awning. An early morning heavy shower added to the 'fun'.

The sun appeared as we wandered over to Gill & Ray's caravan for Sunday breakfast. We feasted on savoury grilled tomatoes, bacon, plus toast topped with a mixture of avocado and goats cheese with a fried/poached egg on top. On top of all that the bacon had a drizzle of maple syrup. Something different. It was superb. Shirley and I skipped lunch.

After breakfast we headed off to the 'Fig Tree Creek' markets. The ladies were more impressed than Ray and I. There was no 'stuff' for men.

After that we did multiple jobs in preparation for a Tuesday departure - in case it rains tomorrow.

The wind gusts all day averaged between 30 and 40 km/h. The temperature was around 20/21 (not counting the wind-chill factor). Shirley and I drove to Emu Park for an ice-cream - just to get out of the wind for a while.

Dinner was a superb meal of corned beef, cabbage, carrots & mashed spuds. It was a cheap piece of meat and will provide cold meat for lunch for a few days.

Day 34 – Monday 8 July - Yeppoon

The wind dropped around midnight and the rain moved in. By my shower time around 7 am the BOM had apparently recorded 9 mm of rain. The puddles were back. Even though the temperature had dropped slightly, the wind reduction meant that it felt warmer. I was happy that we had done some packing yesterday. 😀

By Shirley's shower time, around 8 am, the rain seemed to have petered out, and the day gradually got better and better.

Just before lunch Shirley and I headed out and bought another $2 pineapple and saw a few Red-Tailed Black Cockatoos. My poor selection of subject stopped me from getting one in flight.

Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo

Our last lunch at the Marina for this trip was then enjoyed with Ray and Gill. Again the food was excellent. We all agreed that the servings were too big.

Above - Shirley, Gill, Ray & Chris at 'Waterline'
Below - Chris's Laksa (King snapper, tiger prawns, yellow paste, coconut milk, fried shallots)

I had to keep moving so it was 'awning cleaning' time and 'final packup time' - to try and help digest my lunch. That all happened with lots of interruptions from family, friends and neighbours.

It was a lovely afternoon.

Ray decided that we needed one last sunset photo so off to the Causeway we went - past a police radar gun at 55 km/h. The following is what we saw.

Firstly a cobweb with the sun shining though it. Then the sunset across the water.