Carnarvon gorge to Mackay(July)
Left Carnarvon gorge about 9 am and travelling out you cross Carnarvon creek several times,
story is Carnarvon creek has only run dry twice in living memory, once in 1908 and once in the
1930’s, where we were staying there was a lot of water in the creek and also up at the gorge,
but as you got farther away there was less and less water in the creek and at one crossing you
couldn’t see any at all. There was evidence all along of lots of recent erosion so they must get
vast amounts of water coming through when it flows properly.
On the road back to Emerald we again pass our cattle drive, they don’t seem to have got very far,
in fact some of them seem to be going the wrong way, I’m sure it will all work out in the end.
We have decided not to go back to Sapphire but to press on to the coast, so we are headed to
Clermont on the road to Mackay.
At Clermont we stopped at the only caravan park in town but it was fine, a little noisy during the
night at it was next to a truck depot and there were trucks taking off at all times, but that’s what
ear plugs are for. Clermont was, like all the Queensland country towns we have seen very well
maintained, both the private gardens and the council land. It is another of the towns where people
stay for lengthier periods to go fossicking. The people in the site next to us had a Jayco very similar
to ours, they had sold up everything, bought the Jayco and were travelling with two very young
children, I felt sorry for the wife, she was left at home all day with the kids while the husband went
fossicking, not my idea of a good time but she seemed happy enough.
On the way to Mackay we pass through the Peak Range national park, with the Gemini mountains
in the distance. They are not very high as mountains go but have some really weird and wonderful
shapes and with the cloud formations that are around give the whole vista a bizarre appearance,
much different from what we are used to. Clive is complaining bitterly about the road, it is a single
track road that they have stuck bits on the sides to make it a two track road, only the tacked on bit is
very bumpy and lumpy, the centre bit is fine but you can’t always drive straight down the middle of the
road.
You pass through range after range of hills (mountains) on this road, and we now see our first cane
fields. It seems a very long 270 k. attractive but much of a muchness. One thing we’ve noticed is
that all the road verges are mown and kept beautifully. Finally make it to Mackay and find a large
shopping centre where we stop to replenish our supplies and our tummies. As is the case these days
you could be anywhere in Australia when you get in these large shopping centres as it is the same shops
whether you are in WA, Queensland or wherever. We want to find the Landrover place in town so get
directions and a town map. Trying to read these town maps, and direct someone as you go is very
difficult, the writing is so tiny. Mackay looked very pretty, we went through it about four times before
I found the right road to where we wanted to go, found the Landrover place, got what we wanted and
gave the vehicle and van a thorough wash before heading off to Airlie Beach, where we intend to stay
for a week to relax and do the washing etc. etc.
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