It was quite cold last night and this morning was still a bit chilly, but we enjoyed breakfast outside in the sun. The sky was clear and blue and didn’t take too long to warm up into a beautiful day.
Our morning coffee stop was down the Bruce Highway, through roadworks, and into the town of Childers. What a great place! Childers is a busy and vibrant small country town which is smart enough to provide dedicated parking for about a dozen caravans just off the main street as a fantastic way to encourage caravanners to stop and contribute to the local community. There is street artwork everywhere, including statues, mosaic inlays in the footpaths, and more. Importantly, they have made the most of historic and heritage buildings rather than rip them down – bank branches, shops and even Subway are in old buildings rather than more modern constructions.
Caravan Parking in Childers
Street Scape in Childers
Heritage Building in Childers
Heritage Building in Childers
Street Artwork in Childers
Street Artwork in Childers
Street Artwork in Childers
From Childers the plan was to stop at Maryborough for lunch and then head back to Hervey Bay. However Maryborough was engulfed in smoke so we decided not to stop and to continue directly to Hervey Bay. In the end we actually drove through the smoke which was part of a bushfire which we later learnt had been burning for the previous 24 hours and had burnt out over 100 hectares of thick forest. It even made the TV news tonight.
Smoke on the Horizon
Getting Closer to the Smoke
Driving through the Smoke
The fire burnt through over 100 hectares
We reached the Happy Wanderer Village at Hervey Bay for a late lunch. Ann wasn’t happy with the originally allocated site but was able to change it to another site which we were actually able to drive into. It will be a lot easier to get out as well. The sites here are large but the roads are very narrow which compromises accessibility.
After a late lunch and finishing our set-up, we went for a walk to Torquay Beach and strolled along the Esplanade. After what seemed to be eternity of walking we stopped for a cold beer and a sit to watch the world go by. It is a beautiful beach and we look forward to a better exploration of Hervey Bay tomorrow. We then faced another eternity walking back to the caravan. After a short papa nap I had enough energy to cook lamb steaks on the BBQ for tea.
Welcome to Happy Wanderer Village
Some of the Scenery at Hervey Bay
Kool Kombi Pizza Delivery Van at Hervey Bay
Several things about today’s drive were of some note:
- Roadworks – again we were confronted by roadworks along the Bruce Highway, but our position has softened a bit since Miriam Vale as it is obvious that major improvements are being made to the road rather than just adding patches to patches.
- Plantations – our journey today took us through a much wider variety of plantations than we had previously experienced, including sugar cane, mangos, mandarins, macadamia nuts and pine trees. There were even a few wineries.
Roadworks on the Bruce Highway
Roadworks on the Bruce Highway
Shorty's RV Adventures 