Bundaberg and turtles

We spent two full days in Bundaberg this trip, joining Judy and Sophie in various family related errands they had to do, alongside seeing and experiencing the best of what this small town, in the centre of a prime agricultural region, offers.

The area has a history as a major producer of sugar and related products but more recently it has become known for its macadamia nut farms and environmental tourism. We ate very well during our stay in Bundaberg and Judy made sure we experienced the best of what the region offers.

In between all this Rob and I helped out with some items on Judy's to do list. My fun chore was to help catalogue some of their family's Bundaberg based art collection. Sophie and I spent a few hours dusting things down, stacking frames, clearing ants and trying to document the story behind each work - my idea of fun actually!!

We also did some shopping at this historic establishment at the Paris end of Bourbong Street.

There were some very quirky objects in this shop. From madly Royalist tea cosies........

........ to high quality kitchen ware and china - and everything in between, and I mean EVERYTHING!

Yesterday, our last afternoon in Bundaberg, Judy took us on a scenic tour of all her favourite beaches near town: Innes Park, Elliott Heads, Bargara.....

On the way we stopped off at Tinaberries at Woongarra for a farm sourced, hand made, hand picked, fresh, strawberry, soft serve (icecream) - an absolute delight - and worth a stopover in Bundaberg in its own right!! I took this pic of Tinaberries' pretty outdoor garden space but didn't take the time to take a pic of the icecream!!

The night before (Monday) we'd booked ourselves into a "Turtle Encounter" experience at the nearby Mon Repos Turtle Conservation centre. The night proved to be a wash out due to a fierce lightning storm coming over followed by torrential rain and flash flooding. We got drenched in the process and missed out on most of our "turtle encounters" (bar one) in the process. Although the bonus was, we didn't get struck by lightning! 

So late yesterday afternoon, at the end of our scenic drive, Judy took us for a walk on Mon Repos (beach) on the off chance we might see some unscheduled, daylight, turtle action........

The turtles head for these dunes on Mon Repos in the hatching season and lay their eggs (mostly after sunset) before making their way back to the sea. It's a fraught process - apparently only one in a thousand of the hatchlings ever make it safely back to sea and grow into adulthood.

We were looking for tracks like these ...........

.... and bingo!!!! very soon we found our first turtle digging her egg nest just past the high water mark on Mon Repos....

Mon Repos rangers came on the scene fairly quickly. They check the tagging on each turtle and in some cases collect and move the eggs to safer ground if there is any likely risk to them being disturbed.

We actually found two turtles - both loggerheads - along this stretch of the beach (before the rangers came along). The turtle in this other dune nest was a first time Mum and had not been tagged before. The rangers said she was very nervous and jumpy and difficult to tag - but she still laid her eggs safely, apparently.

Turtles return to the beach where they were born to lay their own eggs, so this first time Mum would have been born at Mon Repos herself in that case.

With her job done, we were able to watch her return (very slowly) back to the sea.

A truly remarkable and awesome way to end our stay in this part of the world.

Agnes Water and 1770

On Sunday we headed north of Bundaberg (with Judy and Sophie) to check out the beach at beautiful Agnes Water and the port of Seventeen Seventy (1770).

Agnes Water is about an hour and a half's drive from Bundaberg, in the Gladstone region. Although the beach has always been popular with locals since European settlement there has only been significant development here since the 80s-90s. Unusually for a small coastal town the development at Agnes Water has been sympathetic to the environment (and high quality). 

We rewarded ourselves with an early lunch at the popular Holidays Cafe and enjoyed city style salads and juices (and a BLAT for Sophie) under shady trees looking out to the Agnes Water beachfront - bliss!

 

I have determined that the beach at Agnes Water is absolutely perfect!!!!! On this sunny November Sunday the beach was remarkably uncrowded, endless and perfectly BEAUTIFUL!

And this would have to be the most perfect caravan park in its beachfront setting anywhere on the Eastern seaboard ........... !

This beach walk made me feel so happy!

Everywhere we go the Poinciana trees are in full bloom - in all their sub-tropical, colourful beauty. I am reminded by how much my Dad used to love these trees and how he planted and nurtured one in our front yard at Coolum Beach all those years ago.

About 6klm further north of Agnes Water is the small town of Seventeen Seventy (1770). It got its name from the year that Captain James Cook (and crew) made his second landfall in Australia (first in Queensland) in May 1770 in Bustard Bay on Round Hill (the original name for the settlement). The town is very proud of its historical link to the Captain Cook "discovery" saga. 

We walked quite a distance from Cook's monument to the Bustard Bay Lookout along the western side of Round Hill Head, in full view of the boats in the 1770 marina. Sophie and Judy reminisced about their camping holidays on Lady Musgrave Island back in the day. Their boat transport to the island left from the 1770 marina.

From 1770 boats can access the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef (specifically Lady Musgrave Island) leaving from where Round Hill Creek meets the waters of Bustard Bay.

Later, we did the walk from the 1770 Headland and Lookout along the brand new stone paved Joseph Bank Walking Track.

This is the very end point of Round Hill Head.........

Once we rounded the head we found this beautiful but inaccessible beach facing out to the Coral Sea.....

We loved our day at these two beautiful places on the Queensland coast - and vowed we'd return one day!

A day on K'gari

We only had one full day to explore the UNESCO heritage listed sand island that is K'gari, so on Friday we signed up for the day long 4WD "Beauty Spots" tour organised by our Kingfisher Bay Resort. There are no sealed roads on the island - just winding, uneven, sandy tracks through the bush and forests. It's hard going for a purpose built 4WD bus - even more hair raising in a car!

First stop on the tour was "Central Station", the site of the old logging camp on the island but now a protected area of remnant rain forest and a sacred site for the original custodians of the island - the Butchulla people.

Our guide introduced here to the impact of logging on this pristine environment and its original inhabitants, prior to its declaration as a National Park, a UNESCO site and the grant of native title to the Butchulla people in 2014. It was a lot to take in - along with gaining an understanding of the unique geology and the environmental forces creating the largest sand island in the world!
 

We were fascinated by the Satinay trees. Unique to K'gari they are the only tree in the world resistant to marine borers. Back in the day Satinay timber was used to construct the Suez Canal and the Port of London. The old trees were massive, wide enough in girth to fit up to 35 people on their remnant stumps after harvesting. There are very few old growth Satinay trees left on the island now, although logging ceased a couple of decades ago. It's a miracle there are any left at all.

There are a lot of freshwater creeks on the island, thanks to the rain and ancient and extensive aquifers under the sand layers. The water is so clear that with their sandy base they look like a ribbon of whiteness through the bush - very different to the way creeks that we're used to look.

We made it over to the east side of the island, facing out to the Coral Sea, at Eurong, where we stopped for an early lunch at the K'gari Resort (which was much more basic than its sister resort on the western side of the island). Eurong is where there is ready access to the iconic 75 mile beach - the main 4WD "highway" and "airport" of the island, easy going for our bus after navigating the rough sandy tracks through the main part of the island.

We were offered the chance along the beach to take a short flight to enjoy a bird's eye view of the island's attractions. There were only 7 seats available on this impromptu flight and we were lucky enough to take 2 of them (and pay for the pleasure of course)!

75 miles of beach!

The fast disappearing Lake Wabby ..........

.......and the beautiful Lake McKenzie.

The look of sheer delight!........

..... looking South.

I saw huge manta rays lolling about n the ocean off the beach; others in our light plane saw sharks swimming beneath them in the clear turquoise waters of the Coral Sea. It was amazing.

The 4WD highway (maximum speed 40klms per hour apparently).

You really feel every bump in the sand landing in a tiny plane like this!

That was all such a thrill for us!!

We rejoined our bus at the site of the Maheno wreck, a significant landmark along 75 mile beach. Stranded here in 1935, only the rusted top deck of this massive 6 deck ship is visible these days.

We drove as far north as "The Pinnacles" - an outcrop of limestone pillars with layers of coloured sands created by natural forces.

Heading back south we stopped off at a popular gathering spot for locals and tourists at Eli Creek, the largest freshwater stream on the island.

Its very popular (by Instagram standards) to walk to this bridge, along the boardwalk, and then float down Eli Creek to where is flows into the ocean.

It was crowded today - and as Eli Creek is only very shallow (but crystal clear); it would have been almost impossible to "float" down it at all.

- but it's very popular anyway!! You can't swim in the ocean off 75 mile beach (too many sharks and stingers) so all those holiday markers have to cool off some how.

We were lucky to get a dingo sighting along the beach heading south. We saw a family group in full play mode circling the stationary vehicles. They're very food focussed and always on the lookout for something to eat - but human dingo interaction is forbidden on K'gari these days - for very good reasons.

Last stop of the day was at beautiful Lake McKenzie, where we had time for a dip in its warm, crystal clear waters.

I love swimming in water this warm and clear.

It had been a wonderful easy day of stunning sight seeing on this amazing island - and we topped it off with an other session at the Sunset Bar that night, and another stunning K'gari sunset.

On our last morning on the island we took quite a long sweaty walk up to the Sandy Strait Lookout which forms the backdrop to the Kingfisher Bay Resort grounds.

We were struck by the hug gums along the track dropping these large strips of brilliantly coloured bark

We enjoyed a leisurely morning around the pool afterwards - and lunch, before boarding the ferry back to the mainland at River Head. We had an hour and a half drive ahead of us, further north to Bundaberg, our next stop on this Queensland road trip.