Wed. 7th to Sat 9th March 2012. Travelling further North.

After 2 months in the Wide Bay area it turned out to be a long day repacking and reorganising ourselves and our van now nicknamed 'Captain Slow' for the next leg of the journey. We finally set off around 2pm from Maryborough, almost having to dig the van out of the mud after so much rain in the region! We we desparate to go after the Mary River flooded, not wanting to be stuck between flooded rivers.

We had a fantastic time exploring the Wide Bay area and loved the time we had there, even amidst the sadness.

Our first night further north was at Lake Monduran (about 20km north of Gin Gin), which apparently holds the largest Barramundi ever, so we felt quite like a 'fish out of water' when we were the only van without a boat attached!  Nice bushland spot though. It was here we managed to collect 2 black eyes; Reuben copped a hard sugar container landing above his right eyebrow from a high cupboard in the van, producing an instant purple egg, and Jasine walked straight into an open van window the following morning, slitting her eyelid and producing a swollen black left eye. What a pair!

Thursday morning we headed off to Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast. So many roadworks made it a long driving day and just prior Rocky a fatal accident had happened about an hour beforehand causing a total highway block and a not so fun dirt road detour for about 10km with Captain Slow in tow!

It was great to pull into lovely Emu Park on the Capricorn Coast of Rockhampton and relax. A quiet beachside spot. We enjoyed dinner on the beach watching the sunset, school under the trees and some swimming and scooting. It was so nice we stayed another day. On Friday night we drove into Rockhampton to walk down the riverside and watch the bullriding at The Great Western Pub - something you just have to do in the Beef Capital of Australia!

Saturday saw us travelling further north having lunch in Mackay and then settling for the night at Airlie Beach. We found a park tucked away in the mountain with sea breezes and a bay view away from the backpacker bustle of town. Even in the low season Airlie appears to be a 'backpacker capital'. A swim before tea and a nice breeze outside helped us all cool down and relax for the evening.