15 June 2011 - Boyne River Rest Area, Queensland

Today we have celebrated my husband’s aging another year. He denies that he is now another year older than I, however I will hold on to that thought for now. We have spent a particularly leisurely day travelling up from our rest stop camp of last night to another about twenty kilometres out of Gladstone; a distance of about 140 kilometres, mostly on upgraded roads, nice for a change .

The Birthday Man and his lunch

We stopped at Miriam Vale on the way through, which had a wonderful rap in the Gladstone and surrounds promotional publication. We checked out the old pub, and a couple of cafes and settled on one that reminded me of tearooms in rural Otorohanga I recall dining in as a family back in the early 1960s. We ordered fish and chips with a side salad and enjoyed it as much as one would in that style of restaurant. Fish and chips is one of Chris’s favourite dishes, so this should not be seen as some sort of second rate consolation prize.

We admired the huge old fig tree on the green opposite the shops and pub, then travelled on to this rest area which is situated well above the Boyne River close to where Bruce Highway crossing. We did start off down a track to the river but only a short way; we were deterred by the warning of crocs keeping guard

Larissa telephoned her father as we dined, and we have received several other welcomed emails in greeting to celebrate the day which is otherwise unmarked. Tomorrow we will venture into Gladstone which is celebrated in the same publication (refer above) as being “unique, unforgettable and truly special”. “It is a city to supersede stereotypes.” We shall discover whether the hype is for real.