14 June 2011 - Gin Gin Rest Area, Queensland

This rest area is even more popular than that we stayed at just north of Childers, this similarly north of Gin Gin. Not yet four in the afternoon, there are well in excess of twenty caravan rigs or motorhomes in and claiming a spot for the night. It makes you realise that how much more business the motor camps could do if they had special areas set aside for those wanting the most basic of facilities: security and dry level ground at a fair tariff of perhaps $10 per night per van.

We ended up staying in Bundaberg so much longer than originally intended, due in part to the weather and in part to the statutory holiday on Monday. We did want to visit Schmeider’s Cooperage, and sadly for us, Mr Schmeider chooses to honour statutory holidays in the old fashioned way, that is, take a day off.

So Monday for us would be filled with laundry and shopping. Our provisions were falling low as we had not done any big stock up since leaving Ipswich almost two weeks ago. The day dawned fine and promised to remain so at least long enough to dry the washing. We then set out for Coles which we had found not too far from the city centre. Shut. In fact the whole shopping centre was shut. As was the IGA Superstore just down the street. How dare they! We did find a green grocer open and were able to buy enough fresh fruit and vegetables to add to the other residual stock for dinner. We do in fact carry enough cans and frozen food to se us through a week’s lock down, however we prefer to live a little better than that on a day to day basis.

I had expressed disappointment that we had missed the one small hill near Bundaberg on the day we did the port – seacoast circuit. And so we set off with a rough idea of direction looking out for a high point sporting a cluster of aerials. The Hummock was soon found, just twelve kilometres from camp and conquered by a short drive followed by an equally short boardwalk climb to the top. Unlike the water tower at Ipswich  which was closed to tourists, the one on The Hummock offered excellent 360 degree views west to the city and beyond to the hills in the distance, and east to the coast. Below us lay a patchwork of sugar cane, melons, strawberries and an assortment of other unidentified crops.

The forecasted rain never came, the washing dried and we sat outside in the late afternoon sun, looking forward to good weather in days ahead.

This morning we rose, packed up, and while doing so, were accosted by a very nice chap who was very interested in our Lotus Caravan. He and his partner currently have a Jayco caravan larger than ours. While it has its merits, they are keen to change to something smaller, to suit their style of travel and camping which obviously mirrors ours; more bush camping, and discovery of more out of the way places, rather than sticking only to the main highways and smart motor camps. We invited him inside for a sticky beak and he then popped away to return with his partner who was as impressed as he had been. They are from Perth and have travelled across the bottom of the country and are now heading north just as we are, with the intention of “doing’ Cape York. We are likewise, providing we get that far before the summer arrives and drives us south again. Hopefully we will run into Geoff and Denise again as we travel north.

Finally we were off, shopped at the excellent Coles supermarket, and drove around to the Cooperage. The principal of this business was the last apprentice through the cooperage at the Bundaberg Rum Distillery back in the early 1980s. Now he contracts to them when they require any new vats constructed. Most of the work produced however are small barrels for private use, all for sale in the shop along with a variety of other woodwork. A DVD explains how the barrels are assembled, all from American white oak, most of it salvaged from old barrels.

There is a glass blowing studio contained in the compound, however the glassblower himself was absent; he had burned his fingers badly and was not expected to show until next week. His work was on offer as were other art works. There was also a bar where one could taste-test wines on sale. We did not feel inclined to partake, so left without purchases but pleased that we had stayed in Bundaberg to visit the attraction.

We found a lovely park, just a few streets away, a chain of lakes called Lake Ellen, where we lunched before heading away from this very pleasant city.

Our route took us south-west up the Burnett River, and across to Gin Gin. What a strange town this is with its very wide open main street, partly modernised and partly under going the same. It won the Friendliest Town prize back in 2003 and would still qualify. We visited the Information Centre, the News agent and the Post Office, where we received helpful and friendly service. We did however decide that there was little to keep us in Gin Gin, and so headed a couple of kilometres north to check out this rest area. Plan B would have taken  us an hour further north, however that is all hypothetical now. We will worry about the route further north tomorrow.