Gladston Part 2

21 st Sept
  We arrived at the wharf area for our 2 hour coffee cruise along with almost 100 other people. We boarded our passenger & vehicle barge & found seats up the top . Unfortunately the weather wasn't kind & we had a shower or two so retreated inside when coffee was served with a Sara Lee muffin & biscuit packet.

This was one of the three natural gas plants which converts the gas to LNG ready for shipping. There are still 2,500 workers on the island completing the third plant.

The huge ship on the left was just leaving & had many tugs guiding it out of the harbour. They take no chances here as certainly don't want accidents with the Great Barrier Reef.

This photo shows part of an 8 kilometre rock wall which is being filled from continual dredging of the shipping lanes.

The cruise was excellent with a lady doing the very interesting commentary. The facts & figures were mind blowing. We saw ships being loaded with coal, cement & chemicals.

The weather cleared as we arrived back after a very enjoyable 2 hours & excellent value for $24 each. Later we walked up the main street in town but very quiet & the shop keepers had no customers. Obviously the malls have had an effect as well as the downturn in the economy. Love Bev & Allan.

Gladstone

We had 3 nights in Rockhampton & on our second day went into the city which was very quiet except for where a food festival was setting up on the river banks. Some great old buildings & lots of money spent with excellent bike & walking paths along the water. This old pub was fantastic & under going alterations.

19th Sept.
          Only 107 klms to Gladstone & arrived at the Kin Kora Lifestyle park by 10.30am! A large shopping mall nearby which I walked back to later while Allan explored around a lake area.The next day we booked to do a coffee cruise at the info centre for wednesday & had a look around the town. I found a scrapbook shop & spent time drooling after a 4 month drought. We went up a look out & were lucky enough to find a guy with great knowledge of Gladstone. It is a huge industrial town although at present going through a quieter time like lots of places.

The guy we talked to was at the lookout to check on how they could improve the views by chopping down a few trees. He said night time was spectacular with lights from the coal loaders, aluminum smelter, cement works & three gas plants. Love Bev & Allan.

Rockhampton

16th Sept.
    A short 60klm drive to Gracemere caravan park on the outskirts of Rockhampton from Yeppoon. We settled in & had a coffee & decided to take a picnic lunch & explore.
  We headed for the Botanical Gardens & ended up parking outside the entrance to the zoo which is also part of the gardens. We spent an hour wandering around the zoo which was free & an excellent place to visit.

This really large snake was happily sleeping in the sun.

This monitor was really rather gorgeous.

The crocodile was well cadged but signs around warning not to go near the lakes edge not far from here as crocs in there that had their freedom! There were koalas & chimps all in a lush tropical setting & a wonderful legacy from some prominent businessman & a great attraction for the town.
  We drove down to the lake for our picnic & sat under huge very old trees & could see golfers playing on the other side. Love Bev & Allan

Test Blog From Grafton

Hello,
   Three weeks ago I tried to post a blog several times but no success so gave up. We have had quite a busy time since but wanted to see if I could post anything now. Be in touch. Bev & Allan.