Travelling Banjos

Bargara Brewing

We spent a most excellent Saturday evening at Bargara Brewing, such a wide range of beers that i could not have a pint of all of them. Think i managed seven or so. Drunk – Fish Pale, Red Roo Irish Ale, Ray XPA, Hop Chief American IPA, now its getting fuzzy there was a Lemon Sour and something with watermelon i think, the last one i have no idea.

My favourite was the Hop Chief – It was good but not as good as the Your Driving from way back in Exmouth.

Bundaberg Rum

Quite and acoholly weekend as the next day we were up bright and early for the Bundaberg Rum distillery tour.

No photos as nothing with a battery can be taken on the tour as alcohol fumes are a little bit explosive.

A few facts from tour.

All the sugarcane molasses used is from locally grown sugarcane and is produced in the mill next door. The waste liquids from the brewing process that is left over after the alcohol is extracted is given to the farmers to fertilise the fields before they plant more sugarcane.

The barrels used to mature the rum and give it its dark colour are all American white Oak imported from one plantation in the USA. If they use local grown white oak or any other timber it changes the flavour and colour of the rum.

They have been brewing continuously on that site for 130 years.

They have about a years supply of molasses in giant 6m deep covered pools at any one time it is maintained at a temperature of 15degC above the outside air temp.

The best bit is you get to try the rum afterwards. Shame i was driving.

Bargara

What a beautiful little town, surrounded by beaches, it has shopping, a pub and everything you need. Would love to live here, apartments going for $75,000. Tempted very tempted.

Bust 3 days in this area, plenty to do and see and even without hitting the beach or the pub we had a very full 3 days. Also had a great fresh cooked prawn roll from a van next to the tourist information centre in Yeppoon.

Yeppoon

Yeppoon is a great little town with a lovely sea front with bars, restaurants and cafes along a lovely strip by the sea, but beware the Kraken.

Yepoon also has big shopping centres and even a Bunnings, which at first seemed overkill for the size of the town, but there are lost of little estates and nearby villages that are not immediately obvious and a tons of holiday accommodation. Great place to stay.

Emu Park

Pretty little town just south of Yeppoon, with a great lookout and ANZAC commemorative boardwalk and the Singing Ship monument to James Cook, which is a collection of pipes that plays an eerie but beautiful tune when the wind blows.

Emu Park has a pub and club and a few cafes basic shops but no supermarket. Very chilled out, I think this would be a great place to live.

Rockhampton

Busy small city with alot going on, we visited the the Tropic of Capricorn that runs through the City, the Botanic Gardens, the Zoo, a craft rum, gin and vodka distillery called Saleyards.

The Tropic of Capricorn is a line that represents the southernmost position of the sun on its annual journey. Rockhampton lies just north of the Tropic of Capricorn. The Tropic of Capricorn Spire is a giant sundial that marks the line.

The botanic gardens are a nice place to have a picnic but nothing special.

The Zoo was great and free mostly native animals (koala, kangaroo, Emu, crocs, wombats etc) and birds with a few additions such as otters and chimps.

The otters were not out and about though much to my disappointment.

Saleyards Distillery

Great tour free tour with tastings of 10 different rum, gin and vodka offerings, given by the owner and head distiller. Very interesting to see how the different botanicals impart the various flavours and the difference that the barrel ageing makes. We bough some Capricorn Spiced rum and some Billy Goat Gin. Looking forward to getting home and sipping it on our Veranda.

Check out the range at https://saleyardsdistillery.com.

Mount Morgan

Mount Morgan was founded on Kangulu tribal lands as a gold mining town in 1882, and over time the Mount Morgan Mine has produced gold, silver and copper. Among those making a fortune from this mine was William Knox D’Arcy. D’Arcy used his fortune to finance oil exploration in Iran, which led to the formation of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company which is now BP

Originally, the Mount was simply just a rocky hill that was transformed into one of the world’s most successful gold mines. Commencing operation in 1882, the Mount Morgan Mine became one of the richest gold mines in Australia, and for a period of time, the world. In fact, in the mine’s early years, it paid off the country’s national debt of approximately $4 million and financed the Aussie involvement in WW1.

Mined for 99 years, Mount Morgan yielded a total of 225,000 kg of gold (at today’s prices worth nearly $11 billion), 50,000 kg of silver and 360,000 tonnes of copper; Ironstone Mountain became a very large hole — 1066 feet (325 metres) deep from the original mountain top.

The gold mine tour is currently closed but there is a very interesting town museum and a railway museum.

The town is a bit rundown these days as with no mine there is little reason to invest in it, but there is a chance that mining my resume in the near future. I hope so, it is sad to see a once prosperous town so rundown.

Pie

The long time leader the Red Bluff Bakery in Kalbarri has finally been been beaten by the Pinnacle Pub who served a delicious Steak and Kidney pie complete with chips, gravy and mushy peas. Just the right amount of Steak and Kidney, in the perfect 2:1 ratio, to balance the crisp on the outside but moist on the inside pastry.

Crafty Pint

Still in the lead by 2 lengths at least is the You’re Dviving IPA fromthe Froth Micro Brewery in Exmouth, despite a great night out at Bargara Brewery where I managed seven different beers (see post on Bundaberg coming soon)

Gread body nice malty upfront taste with citrusy notes and a lovely bitter finish.

ABV 6.2%

IBU 54

Hopheads unite!! You’re Driving IPA is an extremely hop forward ale that packs a punch. If you plan on having more than one, you’ll have to say to your mate…“You’re driving!”  Loaded with Columbus, Chinook, Centennial, Cascade, and Simcoe hops during the brewing process then dry hopped with them all again! This IPA has a huge resinous hop profile where essence of grapefruit and pine cement its roots as a new age India Pale Ale.

Ablution Block

Still the leader by a country mile so far Outback Oasis Caravan Park in Carnarvon, ablutions fit for a hotel room, in fact I have stayed in hotels with much worse ablutions than this. May try to sneak a pic or two if I can manage it without getting arrested or lynched.

I will update regularly. If anybody out there has any suggestions on our route, which is roughly north then east with a bit of south in the middle, please comment below.

Mackay is a fairy typical small rural city which has had its city centre ruined by the advent of Shopping Malls out of town. They have not yet regenerated the City Centre into a entertainment hub like Townsville. Here’s hoping they do soon.

We went up into the hills to Eungella National park to see if we could spot a Platypus and solve the linguistic problem that has plagued generations of Aussie schoolchildren -What is the plural of Platypus is it Platypuses, Platypus’s, Platypi or just plain Platypus? Well actually all are wrong it is Platypodes which is derived from the ancient Greek grammar as this is where the name platypus comes from. Sorry my inner Grammar Nazi escaped for a minute, please rest assured it has been wrestled to the ground, thoroughly beaten into submission and put back in its box.

They also have turtles – we think this one was called Donatello!

Pies

Stopped for lunch on the way back at the Pinnacle Hotel and had a Steak and Kidney Pie, Chips, Mushy Peas and gravy for $13.50 bargain and a new leader int he best Pie contest (See next post).

There is quite a story behind the pub so here it is.

A construction site, 400 hungry men, and leftover roast dinner — the almighty story behind the famous Pinnacle pie.

Sixty kilometres west of Mackay in north Queensland’s Pioneer Valley, sits the Pinnacle Family Hotel. The once humble, weatherboard pub, is known for its baking — rather than its beer and current owners Karen and Andrew Guthrie say they feel lucky to be a part of the ongoing story. 

“In the late-1800s, the Hotel was built in Pinnacle,” Mr Guthrie said. “It was actually built over the road, and the councillors of the day discovered that the main road was going to be on the other side, so they moved it right across.

“They put big logs under it and pushed it all the way across and moved it — it’s quite comical,” he said.

PHOTO: The Pinnacle Hotel in 1903. (Supplied: Glen Hall)

The Pinnacle found its pie

After the pub changed locations, Mr Guthrie said the hotel was renamed the Terminus Hotel, because of it proximity to the railway line.

“In 1927 it burnt down, and they got this little block of land and built it here, so in 1930 it reopened as the Pinnacle Hotel,” he said.

But Mr Guthrie said it was another 70 years before the Pinnacle found its pie.

“In 1992 [owners] Fred and Wendy Goodall were lucky enough to have about 400 men staying out the back in dongas building Teemburra Dam,” Mr Guthrie said.

“She used to always have big roast nights for the men, and instead of throwing the meat and veggies out she’d make a big family pie for the men to take.”

“That’s how it started, and once Teemburra was built, well the Pinnacle Pie had to stay, didn’t it?”

Since 1992, My Gurthrie said there have been around seven couples that have owned what is now called the Pinnacle Family Hotel. Each and every one of them putting their own twist on the Pinnacle pie.

“They diverted them down to a little pie, three of four varieties, then over the years, the owners kept them up, and then we got six pies, and now we’re up to 11 pies,” he said.

Bowen is a great agricultural town with superb beaches great cheap campsites and it has a giant Mango. What more do you need?

and best of all you can snorkel the Great Barrier reef for free from the Beach at Horseshoe bay.

Just walk out 30m and start swimming when you pass the metal sculpture go left between the rocks or right and out another 20m and there are loads of fish and coral aplenty all across the bay.

They do not publicise Bowen as a tourist destination but to me it is much better than Airlie which is twice as expensive for a van site.

Hydeaway Bay is a pristine Beach with a small residential town and a caravan site, but no other facilities. Beautiful to visit for a few hours or days if you want peace and quiet, beach and fishing.

Charters Towers is a town in northern Queensland, Australia. It is 134 kilometres (83 mi) inland (south-west) from Townsville on the Flinders Highway. In 2016 the population was 8,120 people. During the last quarter of the 19th century the town boomed as the rich gold deposits under the city were developed. After becoming uneconomic in the 20th century, profitable mining operations have commenced once again.

We passed through on our way to Townsville, but came back as Fanny Lumsden one of our favourite singers was bringing her Country Halls sidehow tour to the Big 4 Aussie Outback Oasis Caravan Park.

We got to see three acts altogeather for free and thee rwere tasty $15 pizzas on offer, Yummo. Helped soak up the Hop Thief a treat.

Local girl Billie Rose opened the show. No clip to share but link to a track below. Great voice, we will be looking out for her at Tamworth in January.

https://billierosemusic.com/album/1063023/company-with-regret

Melody Moko up next, great tunes and a new album out soon.

Then the headliners Fanny Lumsden. Great show as always, no Totem tennis in the crowd as no kids to play it but still a great show. I Love Fanny. Had a good old chat with them afterwards. All the best to Fanny, Dan and the band. Touring with a baby can’t be easy. See you in Tamworth.

Please bring the Country Halls Tour to Lake Macquarrie.

Roll on has been a bit of an anthem for us on this trip

If you like that check out https://www.fannylumsden.net/welcome

Mission Beach is a small coastal town and locality in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2016 census Mission Beach and surrounding villages had a total population of 3,597 people.

The wettest place in Australia and it lived up to its name 3 days solid of rain. According to the locals it has had 38 days without rain this year and it is ruining the Banana crop. However, there still seemed to be plenty of Nanas around as we bought 6 for $2 from an honesty stall in town.

Ther is a great little craft market on Sundays where you can get unique things this fish made from drift wood as well as the usual clothes, jams chutneys etc.

Etty Bay

Etty bay is a lovely little beach with nothing but a cafe and campsite, but it is Cassowary central.

Cassowaries, genus Casuarius, are ratites (flightless birds without a keel on their sternum bone) that are native to the tropical forests of New Guinea (Papua New Guinea and Indonesia), East Nusa Tenggara, the Maluku Islands, and northeastern Australia.

There are three extant species. The most common of these, the southern cassowary, is the third-tallest and second-heaviest living bird, smaller only than the ostrich and emu.

Cassowaries feed mainly on fruit, although all species are truly omnivorous and will take a range of other plant food, including shoots and grass seeds, in addition to fungi, invertebrates, and small vertebrates. Cassowaries are very wary of humans, but if provoked they are capable of inflicting serious injuries, occasionally fatal, to dogs and people. It is often called “the world’s most dangerous bird”.

Townsvilles version of Rotnest but with Koalas instead of Quokas, not sure who wins the cuteness competition.

Magnetic Island is an island 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) offshore from the city of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. This 52 km2 (20.1 sq mi) mountainous island in Cleveland Bay has effectively become a suburb of Townsville, with 2,107 permanent residents. The island is accessible from Townsville Breakwater to Nelly Bay Harbour by ferry. There is a large 27 km2 (10.4 sq mi) National Park and bird sanctuary and walking tracks can be taken between the populated bays and to a number of tourist destinations such as the World War II forts.

Now Horesshoe bay is a great beach town with icecream and bars and restaurants and a fab beach, but ONE public toilet, not one block for men and one for women or one block for both. Just ONE toilet for everybody admittedly it talks to you in a very sexy female voice, but come on Council hundreds of people use this town beach every day and need to change and use the toilet ONE very expensive talking toilet is not enough

PicnicBay is very small one pub/hotel and nothing else we could not even buy and icecream, the 45mins between busses was probably 15mins too long to wait.

Time to stay still for a few days after the long haul from NT and for Jools to get her shopping fix that she has been craving since Karatha, she was delighted to find a Kmart and a Reject shop.

Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. Townsville is Australia’s largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a population of 173,815 as of the 2016 Australian census.[Considered the unofficial capital of North Queensland by locals, Townsville hosts a significant number of governmental, community and major business administrative offices for the northern half of the state. It is in the dry tropics region of Queensland, adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef. The city is also a major industrial centre, home to one of the world’s largest zinc refineries, a nickel refinery and many other similar activities.

Popular attractions include “The Strand”, a long tropical beach and garden strip; Riverway, a riverfront parkland attraction located on the banks of Ross River; Reef HQ, a large tropical aquarium holding many of the Great Barrier Reef’s native flora and fauna; the Museum of Tropical Queensland, built around a display of relics from the sunken British warship HMS Pandora; Castle Hill or as it was originally known Cootharinga, the most prominent landmark of the area and a popular place for exercise; The Townsville Sports Reserve; and Magnetic Island, a large neighbouring island, the vast majority of which is national park.

Weather was not so good so we could not visit the beaches and did not find out about the Aquarium until our last evening so missed out on thta too, we went to Magnetic Island, but that is a whole other post.

The town was named after the niece of Donald McIntyre (younger brother of Duncan McIntyre), the first white settler in the area. McIntyre took up a property called Dalgonally about 70 kilometres (43 mi) north of the present site of the town in 1864, only a few years after the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition passed through the area. The township began life as a temporary terminus in 1907 when the railway was extended from Richmond to service the copper mines at Cloncurry.

Julia Creek Post Office opened by September 1910 (a receiving office had been open from 1907).

A one-room school was established in 1911 with nine students, and was expanded in 1932 and again in 1934. A separate high school was constructed in 1963. A sixteen-bed hospital was established in 1972. The town did not receive electricity until 1952.

The town’s main industries are farming, (especially the beef and wool industries), and mining, which is mainly centred on the South 32 mine at nearby Cannington. The town is a major centre for cattle sales and stock trucking, with a large saleyard and associated facilities. Prior to the expansion of the railway to the larger towns of Cloncurry and Mount Isa, the town was also a major transport hub for freight and passengers.

Julia Creek is also home to the Julia Creek dunnart which is now endangered because of feral animals (wild cats, dogs & foxes)

There is an interesting Museum that has artifacts from the history of the town and the best tourist information centre with video films about the town past and present and about the great artesian basin that makes the town such a great farming area.

The Great Artesian Basin, located in Australia, is the largest and deepest artesian basin in the world, stretching over 1,700,000 square kilometres (660,000 sq mi), with measured water temperatures ranging from 30–100 °C (86–212 °F). The basin provides the only source of fresh water through much of inland Australia.

The Basin underlies 22% of the continent, including the states and territories of Queensland (most of), the Northern Territory (the south-east corner of), South Australia (the north-east part of), and New South Wales (northern part of). The basin is 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) deep in places and is estimated to contain 64,900 cubic kilometres (15,600 cu mi) of groundwater.

The water of the GAB is held in a sandstone layer laid down by continental erosion of higher ground during the Triassic, Jurassic, and early Cretaceous periods. During a time when much of what is now inland Australia was below sea level, the sandstone was then covered by a layer of marine sedimentary rock shortly afterward, which formed a confining layer, thus trapping water in the sandstone aquifer. The eastern edge of the basin was uplifted when the Great Dividing Range formed. The other side was created from the landforms of the Central Eastern Lowlands and the Great Western Plateau to the west.

Most recharge water enters the rock formations from relatively high ground near the eastern edge of the basin (in Queensland and New South Wales) and very gradually flows toward the south and west.[6] A much smaller amount enters along the western margin in arid central Australia, flowing to the south and east. Because the sandstones are permeable, water gradually makes its way through the pores between the sand grains, flowing at a rate of one to five metres per year.

Discharge water eventually exits through a number of springs and seeps, mostly in the southern part of the basin. The age of the groundwater determined by carbon-14 and chlorine-36 measurements combined with hydraulic modelling ranges from several thousand years for the recharge areas in the north to nearly 2 million years in the south-western discharge zones.[7]

The Caravan park is really good right next door to the public pool and has a bush dinner on a monday night run by the local Lions Ladies that for $15 get you a roast dinner and a desert, bargain. Was about 160 people there when we had it.