It was 10.15 before we finally left Nambour after stopping at a disposal store and buying raincoats. We travelled up the number 1 highway again, heading for Bundaberg with a stop for lunch at Maryborough. In Maryborough we were talking to a local who told us we had just missed the Triumph Rally, we’ve been trying to find out when rallies are on so that we can go to a couple and we always seem to find out about them after the event.

The raincoats came in handy it rained quite a bit on our way, but the further north we got the less rain there was.

We arrived at a rain free Bundaberg and continued on without stopping, to Bargara Beach Caravan Park which is about 15km from Bundaberg, arriving there at 3.15pm.

We set up the tent, cleaning all the mud and water out of it, did some washing, bought some groceries and settled in for the evening.

We spent a leisurely day starting out by going for a walk along the beach to the town centre of Bargara. The foreshore of Bargara is really nice, there are seats and shelters along the way and a really nice children’s playground with a nearby barbeque area. There are only two small sandy beach areas, one near the caravan park at which we’re staying and one near the shops, the remainder of the coast is rocky.  There are pandanus, palms and Norfolk isle pines planted all along the foreshore.

After lunch we went in and had a look around the main street of Bundaberg. There are some lovely old buildings on a nice wide main street that even provides motorcycle parking. Found a shop whose website we had seen - Everything But the Bike.

 
BARGARA BEACH

After the park we went and saw an exhibition at the Bundaberg Gallery, it was a historical exhibition about the South Seas Islanders involvement in the early days of the sugar industry of Queensland.

We found out today that the Harley is not a dune buggy. I always like to photograph lighthouses so we headed towards the Port of Bundaberg looking for one that I knew was around somewhere. We rode down past the port, no lighthouse in sight. Tony decided to go a little further than the actual road and we found ourselves up to the exhaust pipes in sand. We finished up digging the sand away from the rear wheel and then with a mighty heave ho we got it out, all the while the people fishing just sat and ignored us. (We still haven’t found the lighthouse!)

After a stopover at the carwash we visited the Bundaberg Rum factory, it costs $9.50 each to do a tour and we weren’t that interested so we had a look around their merchandise store and left. We had a look at Schmeider’s Cooperage and Craft Centre and then headed back to the Caravan Park.

A WALL COVERED IN THONGS AT THE BUNDABERG RUM FACTORY

We then headed around to the main street to pay a bill at the post office and buy a newspaper. I went to the shop and while Tony was still near the bike a guy came up and started talking to him about Harleys. That guy left and Clive who had parked his Harley in the bay next to us returned and he chatted with Tony. I returned and as I did a couple walked by and admired the bike and started talking to me, they and Clive left and we thought we’d be on our way. Just then another couple, Santa & Dragon, walked by wearing Southern Peninsula Bike T Shirts and we recognised him from the Cavendish Rally. We chatted with them for ages and they told us a few places locally to have a look at and invited us to their home. We must have stood outside that shop for over an hour chatting with people; each time we thought we’d leave someone else came along to talk to. The Ulysses badges are great to wear on your jacket, even if people aren’t members it’s a conversation starter.

In the afternoon we went to the Bundaberg Botanical Gardens, they’re beautiful, especially the Japanese garden. We spent a couple of hours wandering around the gardens then headed back to the caravan park for an early tea, before going to the cinema with tickets that I had been given by the caravan park manager, we saw Sahara, quite a good movie.

So a day we thought we’d have trouble finding things to do turned out quite nice, we met some really friendly people.

TONY, SANTA & DRAGON                                                    JAPANESE GARDEN, BUNDABERG BOTANICAL GARDENS

We were going there to have a look at the trailer that Santa’s building and when we got there he suggested a modification that he could easily make to our trailer that would make it travel a lot better. So before we knew it Tony and Santa were off to Bundaberg to buy new leaf springs for our trailer. Then it was back to Santa’s workshop (and you thought it was at the North Pole!) to change the springs.

It was after 4pm before we finally headed towards Rockhampton. Travelling in the dark on unknown roads is no fun, so when we reached Gladstone we treated ourselves to a night in a motel, a real bed for a change.

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