Day 13: St Lawrence to Mackay (14/06/12)

The morning at St Lawrence kept the spell of the previous evening: it was quiet, bright, a bit nippy but very relaxing. 

Bright and nippy breakfast

Some of the locals just waking up and scratching themselves

We were still using the winter doona, and were not regretting it in the least. After a leisurely breakfast, we went into St Lawrence town and tanked petrol

Yes, this is where we tanked petrol and bought milk!

(yes, we are learning) and drove back to the main road. We were among the last of those who were leaving, and on the 6 km side road we passed at least 6 RV-ers who were heading towards the camp site. No doubt that night there would have been as many if not more caravan and campervans as on the night we were there.  Later we heard that there were supposed to be a group of 60 campervans headed for St Lawrence around the time we were there.

Today’s journey was to Mackay along what was largely flat land with occasional sugar plantations. At Mackay we were headed for the northern fringe, to a caravan park in Black Beach. This turned out to be a very clean and well-appointed park, although the sites were a bit squeezy. We unhitched so that we could go into town and buy Joke a Telstra dongle to give us a little more flexibility with the internet. We wandered around town, the centre of which seemed to be a bit in decline. 

Boulevard and bridge along the Pioneer River

Street in Mackay

Achtung! Das billenbiters vill haf you for lunch!

Joke daring the crocs to come out and fight!

At the end of the pier: this is where TomTom took us instead of to a seafood restaurant.

Mackay Harbour

Dragon boaters(?) going out for an evening cruise.

We were directed to the “Canelands Shopping Centre” to find that, not only did it have Telstra shops, but it had all the other good shops too. It may have been my imagination, but Mackay looked like a town that was getting used to having an influx of mining people and their new wealth.

At the caravan park we spoke with a lady from Longford, who had gone to school with Jenine Barnes (ex-Tourism) and knew Tanya Hanson (my ex-boss). She said that there were a lot of people working in the mines at Moranbah (230 kms away) who lived in the park. Some of them did 12-hour shifts, and were bussed or drove themselves the 3-hour trip either way to Mackay. Madness, I say!