Left home at 6.10, earlier than planned, I’d been awake since 2.50 and Pam’s coughing had woken her.She sems to have a second bout of upper respiratory infection but says she feels alright.The Gympie Highway and then the Bruce Highway was empty going north. Excellent. The onset of heavy rain was not.
We stopped at the ‘Beefy’ way station for a muesli breakfast, buying Beefy pies for lunch (they were the ones we had on the way to Mooloolaba on New Year’s Eve). I was determined not to go too far between stops in such concentrated conditions. Morning coffee at a pleasant roadside cafe where we could also refuel and use the loo. Much to our surprise, the main M1 Bruce Highway between Brisbane and Cairns had now become an ordinary A class single carriageway.
We were much too early to arrive in Bundaberg and decided to make a planned detour to the coast at Burrum Head, the mouth of the Burrum river. It stopped raining and we could lunch sitting on a bench overlooking a narrow strip of sand with a few swimmers and fishing boys, looking across to the north bank of the river. The north shore held a frustratingly distant flock of waders and terns, large and much too distant to ID. A small flock of Black-naped Terns flew by, a single Crested Tern fished close in and a juvenile Wedge-tailed Eagle flew overhead. Most enjoyable - as was the pie.
We could see the rain sweeping in, making a dash for the car just as the heavens opened....again. I phoned Tina to let her know our whereabouts and agreed to phone again when we reached Childers.Twenty kilometres drive back to the highway and then only a short distance to Childers which advertised an Information Centre. Pam bought some cough mixture at the pharmacy before we picked up some useful info and maps at the IC.
Off the Bruce and onto the Isis highway, driving through harvested sugar canes and, what we now know to be, rows of 12 foot high macadamia nut trees. The nuts are very cheap here in Aus., we must take some home.
Bundaberg is much bigger than Sara led us to believe. We just drove straight on along the main road and found the Post Office - where we were to meet Tina - very easily. It was good of her to meet us and then lead the way to her home, some distance south out of town on an alternative road from Hervey Bay which we’d considered using. A very comfortable, welcoming bungalow set in a large garden, open to extensive cultivated fields but with an area of very interesting shrubs, flowers and trees.
After a cuppa and some very good pumpkin cake - Pam sampled two other varieties of cake too - it was time for Tina to feed the birds. There was already a flock of Galahs in residence, they flew away as we approached.
A large metal stand held several large shallow, plastic bowls which she filled with slices of wet bread then sprinkled with sugar. At least 50 screeching Rainbow Lorikeets blossomed the trees around, flying down to feed as soon as Tina moved away a bit.
A few pairs of Scaly-breasted Lorikeets joined the noisy throng, two Galahs hung about nearby. A Pheasant Coucal did its poo poo poopoo call out of sight.
We were then given a tour of the garden. Three mango trees heavy with fruit, the fallen ones inspected for flying fox claw marks. They were then discarded, the foxes carry Lissa virus which can be transmitted to horses and then humans. Down came the rain, driving us indoors.
Strawberry Mangoes
After a truly delicious chicken supper - I asked for the recipe - including a veg called snake beans, about a foot long, pale green and unlike any I’d seen before and followed by a large mango, we chatted and then watched an interesting programme about Lake Eyre. It’s in Queensland and is the largest salt lake in Australia. It only floods about twice a century - I reckon it will this year!!
No comments:
Post a Comment