10 June 2011 - Finemore Holiday Park, Bundaberg

It is always pleasing to find the weather forecast wrong, and today has been such a day. Cold, yes, breezy, yes, but no rain. The sun even ventured out from behind the clouds today, briefly revealing a patch of blue sky, so it was after all, a good day to set out in the cruiser to discover the surrounding countryside.

Lighthouse at South Burnett Heads

Once the yogurt was stirred, approved and refrigerated, the bolognaise sauce stewing in the crock pot and the sandwiches in their wonderful Tupperware sandwich keepers, we set off into the centre of the town where Chris had a haircut and I posted a letter. Then off toward Bundaberg Port situated further east (and of course downstream) on the Burnett River, then to South Burnett Heads where we walked out to the very ugly lighthouse constructed in the 1970s, then out along part of the seawall which was more interesting. The wind off the sea was cold and we were relived to return to the relative warmth of the vehicle. It was however quite beautiful; the pandanas and the casuarinas along the shore provide an exotic scene.

Boardwalk at Mon Repos

From there we travelled south to Mon Repos, where the Conservation Department have a turtle rookery. Nesting starts in November and continues through to February, and then the hatching of the eggs occurs between early January and March. Obviously we had missed all the excitement, and so there were no turtle watching tours  offered, nor was the information centre open, however we did walk the board walks out to the beach and see where it all happens when one gets the timing right.

Pandannus

From there, we travelled further south on the coast to Bargara which is the main seaside town for Bundaberg. It is very pretty, full of very smart residences and apartments, and not too spoiled by commercialism. We lunched in a shore side park, offering the seagulls our apple cores. Alas they were more excited by our fellow diner’s chip scraps, their preference for a less healthy diet. We drove further down the coast following the shoreline as much as possible, through Innes Park and Coral Cove as far as Elliot Heads. Coral Cove, even more than Bargara, boasts extensive golf courses. I suspect that tourists come here simply to play golf and dine in the cafes. At Burnett Heads and again at Elliot Heads we observed divers donning their full wet suits, gathering their spears and setting off into the cold waves, in the hope of returning with crayfish.

We indulged in ice creams at Elliot Heads, surprising the storekeeper that we should choose such a treat on such a day, then headed back to Bundaberg by a more direct route through the acres of sugar cane fields and small beef holdings.

This evening the heater is in operation, the television reception is dodgy, even more so than last night, but there is still no evidence of rain. The up-to-date forecast on Google suggests that the rain will now not reach us until Sunday, when we are planning on heading away from this very pleasant rural service town.