Day 11: Gin Gin to Rockhampton

The charm of Gin Gin had not evaporated next morning. We had a leisurely breakfast, watching other caravaners with more urgent schedules than ours pack up and leave, one after the other. In response to the even balmier weather than the day before, we put on the naughty shoes, as the Dutch would say, and dug out the shorts!

Joke practicing unhurriedness

Dirk with freshly-dug-out shorts (and, of course, naughty shoes!)

Morning tea found us in Miriam Vale – a charming town with a name much beloved by us. Needless to say we enjoyed our stay there. We tanked petrol on leaving at a petrol station called The Big Crab. The Big Crab of Miriam Vale. Honest.

By the time we got to Miriam Vale Joke was prepared to bare a leg or two too!

Miriam Vale public loo

Miriam Vale Station

Miriam Vale Hotel - there's a theme here, isn't there?

Miriam Vale Roll of Honour

Miriam Vale Heritage Fig Tree

Miriam Vale Petrol Station

Miriam Vale Caff selling Miriam Vale Pizza

Another of the many stops for road repairs.

 We diverted into Gladstone to find a spot for lunch, marvelling at the enormously long coal trains rolling in one after the other. There seemed to be an enormous amount of industry in the Gladstone region, and yet we found the most lovely seaside park to have lunch in.

Barney Point Park, Gladstone

Luncheon with paper

Monument marking "first official residence in Northern Australia"

Empty coal train returning to the interior to be fed

At Rockhampton we checked in at a Big 4 caravan park. Once settled and set up there, we wondered whether we should stay an extra day there or move on. The decision was taken away from us by a malfunctioning light which took out most of the interior lights in the caravan. This would need to be fixed before we undertook any more free camping. It was too late to do anything so we went to bed early to get away from the glare of the overbright overhead lights remaining to us...

Settled and set up at Rockhampton