Bound for the Coast

 From Julia Creek, we continued further east along the Flinders Highway towards Richmond on what we can only describe as the worst road we've ever travelled, with damage on the left-hand side caused by the large B double and triple trucks that use these roads. We rode the centre line wherever possible, providing we could see far enough ahead to escape furrows created on these roads that were never built to handle the weights of these trucks and their loads.

These road conditions continued for another one hundred and fourteen kilometres until we reached Hughenden, where we camped at the free RV park, a large dirt car park the size of two football fields with a dump point and town water. We'd planned to spend two nights here, but one night was enough after walking around town and the swirling wind kicking up dust in the RV park.

The road condition east towards Charters Towers started to improve, making the two hundred and forty-six kilometre drive much more enjoyable. We stopped briefly here to refuel before moving another twenty kilometres east to camp at another free camp beside the Burdekin River at Macrossan Park, where toilets and rubbish bins are available. Again, the area was dirt, but we positioned ourselves near a large area of grass even though it was dry, which would stop us from being covered in dirt from wind and passing traffic. It was busy, which can be put down to having toilets on site, and many permanent campsites looked like they'd been camped for a considerable amount of time.

The old sandstone pylons have been replaced because the weight of the trains carrying refined metals and mineral concentrate to the coast wouldn't be able to take the additional loads.

The remainder of our trip along the Flinders Highway was an enjoyable drive as we headed towards the Bruce Highway. About thirty kilometres west of Townsville at Woodstock, we turned onto a minor road that took us by properties with mango plantations. We saved ourselves from having to travel an extra sixty kilometres.

Since leaving home in early June, the traffic has been minimal for the areas we've been travelling through, so it was a real shock to arrive at the Bruce Highway and be confronted with streams of traffic heading in both directions. The highway remained busy for the next one hundred and fifty-three kilometres until we arrived in Bowen. All the van parks were booked out even though the school holidays were nearly over, so we spent the next four nights at a farm stay twenty kilometres south-west of Bowen at Glen Erin Farmstay for twenty dollars a night where there was bore water available, a dump point and showers and toilets.

We travelled to Airlie Beach and booked into a caravan park on the Shute Harbour Road. It's been eight years since our last visit, and we were blown away by the progress here. There are new marinas and resorts, and the Airlie Beach Hotel has been transformed into mega accommodation. While here, we ventured into Proserpine to pre-poll for the voice referendum.

                                                                    

Airlie Beach and North Queensland were our yearly destinations to escape winter in Canberra while we lived there for over forty years, so we've seen the vast changes in that time.

We are booked into Bushtracker on Wednesday, the eighth of November, for a van service that will include replacing the wheel bearings, so we are currently trying to juggle times and places to stay for the coming month as it's just on one thousand kilometres from Airlie Beach to the factory at Kunda Park on the Sunshine Coast.

So, after leaving Airlie Beach, it was only just over fifty kilometres to our next four-night stopover at Lake Proserpine. The only facilities here are a small kiosk selling essential items, showers, toilets, and rubbish bins. The campground overlooks the lake, and fees are ten dollars per person per night. Unfortunately, during our four days here, we experienced powerful, gusty winds, and as usually happens on our departure day, the winds have eased.