Agnes Water - Rockhampton

Wed 11 July – Up early as the next camp we want to stay in is “first come first served” and we do not want to miss out. We are heading out to the coast to Agnes Water about 120kms away. We arrived at the Workmans Beach camp at about 10:00am and got one of the last sites. This is a Regional Park camp and set in bush. It reminds us of the great State Park camps in the USA. We walked out to the headland behind the camp with great views. After lunch we rode down to the town and the beautiful beach of Agnes Water. The end of the beach faces north and is sheltered from the S.E.  winds. On the way back, we walked a couple of short tracks with great views. We have booked for 2 nights but may stay longer.

Thurs 12 July – We packed our lunch and cycled 7kms to the town of 1770.

This is where Captain Cook made his second landfall on Australia. (Botany Bay was the first). There is a sheltered river mouth where he moored the Endeavour and caught fish, and shot the turkeys which are still everywhere. We walked thru the Joseph Banks Conservation Park to a lookout. Back on the river we had our lunch before the return ride to Agnes Water Beach for a sit in the sun and a read.

Fri 13 July – Another packed lunch and a ride in the opposite direction partly on a road and then a 4WD track to a carpark at Springs Beach.

We walked the Red Rock Trail along beaches and over headlands for 3kms. The area up from the beaches is all privately owned (Myers) with eco-friendly houses set discreetly into the bush. A great walk with pristine beaches.


On our way back, we walked a boardwalk thru a Paper Bark forest. Enjoyed some time relaxing when we got back.

Sat 14 July – We left this great camp (we will be back!) and drove 120kms north to a free camp on the Calliope River. There is camping either side of the river and we got a great spot on the north side overlooking the river. There are about 100 campers and caravans in this area but there is lots of space. Most people lit camp fires at sunset.

Sun 15 July – It was a very cool morning. When the sun reached “Andy” I gave Val a haircut. Clear skies and very sunny. In the afternoon we walked over the old bridge to the camp on the other side of the river. The guy next door lit a camp fire at sunset and invited us and another couple to join them. A very pleasant evening talking and enjoying the brilliant stars.  Even saw the International Space Station fly over.

Mon 16 July – We will stay here for another night. It was much warmer this morning. Breakfast outside in shorts. We walked up to the small café where the local CWI ladies serve scones with jam and cream. Very yummy. Our neighbours lit a campfire and we spent another very pleasant evening with them.

Tues 17 July – A 100km drive to Rockhampton where we are booked into a camp. We did a shop up and after lunch Val washed everything that did not move! I had to be careful I did not end up in a washing machine. We will return to this camp in a few days’ time to look around this city of around 100,000 situated on the Tropic of Capricorn.

Wed 18 July – We drove out to the coast to Yeppoon, found a park and walked the beach into the town. It is a bit like a mini Mooloolaba with yuppy shops and apartments above. This area is Keppel Bay with the Keppel Islands in the distance. We booked into a camp down the coast for a couple of nights. There seem to be lots of older couples from Victoria wintering over here. The camp is on an inlet with a causeway separating it from the sea. We sat on the inlet watching the sunset.

Thurs 19 July – We walked across the causeway and along the beach for about 5kms. The weather has been perfect for the last three weeks. Sunny days (around 23C) and cooler evenings. We spent the afternoon in the sun/shade reading.

 Back to the inlet with our chairs and a glass of wine to watch the sunset with the pelicans.

Fri 20 July – We drove away from the coast and inland.
 This will be the last time we see the sea for a very long time!

 We went to the “Fardooley’s Bush Camp”. This is a private little camp up on a plateau in the bush. There were about 20 sites, run by a hard case couple who just enjoy the company. At around 5:30pm we all assembled in the Fardooley Bar for “happy hour”. We had a great couple of hours talking to many other couples traveling much as we are.

Sat 21 July – A cooler but sunny morning. I had bought some bits to fix the tap in our shower and spent most of the morning (with Val’s help) shifting the tap. A very successful job.

In the afternoon we walked down the hill and followed a track to the creek. Platypuses have been sighted there but the creek was just a series of shallow puddles so non Platypuses. Back up to the bar for “happy hour”. Very hospitable hosts.

Sun 22 July – Back to the city of Rockhampton with a shop up on the way. We are booked into the same camp as last Tuesday and will spend a couple of nights here before heading inland for the next part of our journey.