Monday, January 3^rd

 

Another early start due to the fact that it is light so early in the morning. Our pitch last night was in a caravan park in Scarborough, nothing like its Yorkshire namesake. It had a very pretty beach, with a long flat esplanade lined with pines and palms, and a very busy marina.

 

 

After a walk round the harbour I made a good breakfast on my favourite raisin toast, became optimistic about the weather , (sunshine coast?????) and , after some deliberation, started out for Mooloolaba. We had hoped to admire the Glass House mountains beside the Bruce Highway (yes, really, Bruce!) as, according to Aboriginal dreaming legend, these rocky peaks belong to a family of mountain spirits. However, the cloud was so low and the rain at times so heavy that visibility was virtually nil.

Mooloolaba has a beautiful sandy beach and a cruise feel about it.Once a humble fishing village, cafés, boutiques and holiday apartments have transformed it into one of Queensland’s most popular destinations.

 

Back on the road, the gum trees gave way to mile after mile of dense, dark pine forests, uniform lines of trees broken only by the contrasting  white or yellow bark of th e occasional gum.  Soon we had reached  Rainbow Beach, a tiny town at the base of the Inskip Peninsula with multi coloured sand cliffs overlooking the sea. Although not very obvious in the cloudy conditions , and a not very good photographer, it was possible to see how it might appear in sunlight! A huge sand dune dominated the southern end of the beach, a great place to slide down, but a long way back up.

 

From the beach it is possible to see Fraser Island which we intend to visit on the return journey.

It would have been odd not to visit the Mary river and the harming old country town of Marlborough. Founded in 1847Maryborough is one of Australia’s oldest towns and the port was the first port of call for thousands of 19^th century free settlers. It is a town of beautifully restored colonial era buildings and gracious Queenslander homes on stilts. (Rather like Piasau’s etc)

 

 

Maryborough is also the birthplace of PL Travers, the author of Mary Popping, Saving Mr Banks tells the story of her life and was the setting for the film. On the corner where the bank used to be is a statue of Mary herself.

 

We took the opportunity of a large town to replenish provisions and then made our way to Agnes Water back on the coast. I am so grateful that no one had a camera to record us pitching the tent in torrential rain, sitting under our shelter eating  our dinner and generally being soaked through! It is much warmer and more humid up here, the vegetation is bright and lush ; now we know why!