Yeppoon QLD

Today’s drive took us from Bargara to Yeppoon, with a small detour for lunch in the historic town of 1770 (or Seventeen Seventy). This was the site of Captain James Cook’s second landing on the Australian mainland in May 1770, giving it the distinction of being regarded as the birthplace of Queensland.

It was actually quite charming and far more impressive than I remembered from my previous visit in 1990, with funky cafes and some fancy new developments.

The rest of the drive was a mixed bag as we ticked off a couple more entries from Australia’s “Big Things” collection: the Big Crab at Miriam Vale and the Big Whale at Rockhampton - both worth exactly the amount of time it takes to pull over, “take a photo Fi” and keep moving.

The highway featured some of the roughest surfaces we’ve encountered so far, up there with NSW standards 😆, while the Great Dividing Range provided a constant backdrop to our left.

As we rolled into Rockhampton we officially crossed the Tropic of Capricorn and entered the tropics. We celebrated by promptly turning the air conditioning up a notch to counter the balmy 27 degrees outside.

By late afternoon we rolled into Yeppoon and checked into the NRMA Capricorn Yeppoon Holiday Park on a spacious ensuite site before making a beeline for the town centre. We were genuinely impressed - the beachfront foreshore has been beautifully done, with landscaped parklands, wide walking paths and a fantastic free lagoon pool overlooking Keppel Bay. Unfortunately, a howling wind ruled out any thoughts of a swim.

Instead, we sought refuge over dinner at the Keppel Bay Sailing Club (where we’re now its newest members), enjoying great food and an even better position overlooking the beach.Read more