Today is the 30th June and we have arrived at Point Vernon, Hervey Bay for the next four nights. We have a spacious grass site, but the park is otherwise full. We also went out to the local golf/RSL club for dinner tonight and the food was excellent. Mark and I joined as temporary members for the month, at $2.20 and received member discounts on meals and drinks. We will return there again before we leave. Mark and I walked out on the 700 metre long jetty today, and many fishos were trying their luck. Didn’t see anyone catch anything though.

The tides were running about 2.5m difference in level and at high tide, the bay at Point Vernon looked pristine. At low tide, the water was about 1klm distant and the ‘river’ was a trickle which was only ankle deep in most places. There were a few places where the pools were a metre or deep and we spent a couple of hours flicking lures in there, to try and tempt something out. Mark and I both caught flathead, but they were only just legal size. As the tide came in, you could hear it coming like a strong wind and it quickly covered the sandy bay. We fished until it got knee deep and then hightailed it back to shore, racing the incoming tide. The fish came in on the tide and so did many turtles. We could only stay for 15 minutes of the run in, before having to leave, but it was interesting. We did this for the next couple of days and found a resident turtle living in the deep pool. It was there every day, in an undercut ‘cave’ in the mud and regularly surfaced to look around and flap its flippers. We stood on top of the bank and it was less than 60cm down beneath us. Shame the water was muddy, or we could have got some nice photos.

We left Hervey Bay on the 4th July and dropped in to see my sister and brother in law at Bauple, just south of Maryborough. They had a few trees fruiting, and we got some Star Fruit, Macadamia Nuts and a bucketful of Jabucataba fruit. This is a south American fruit which looks like a black plum and grows on the trunk and stems of the tree. Most unusual to see big black clusters of ripe fruit on the trunks and branches. They are sweet and delicious, with a bitter tang if you chew the skins. I am going to make some jam from them. We booked in to the Maroochy Palms caravan park for 3 nights and will be visiting some dear old friends from our youth. Dave and Jenny live on Bribie Island and it will be good to catch up. Mark and Wendy will be spending the time with Marks brothers and families and we will meet up again on Tuesday at Tallebudgera for a few days before the home leg of our adventure. The time is going way too fast towards the end.

Today, Beryl and I drove up to Maleny, Montville and Mapleton and did the scenic loop back to Maroochydore. The area is very popular up there and it was hard to find a parking spot, but we got lucky and managed one near the Mary Cairncross Café where we had lunch. It was a great view over the Glasshouse Mountains and the Sunshine coast. On the way back, we drove down the mountainside on a narrow, often gravel road which took us down a ridge to the Diamond Valley. Brian didn’t answer his phone, which was a shame as we hadn’t seen him in 42 years. He was my best man at our wedding and we got through to him later that night. He was home, but running a fever and sick in bed with the flu. Had a good chat and reminisced about the good old days. We left and drove back through Bli Bli where we caught up with Mark and Wendy, at his Brother Greg’s house. Left there and went to his brother Gary’s house for a brief visit and then back to Maroochydore for a Chinese takeaway meal. Today is Monday and another social day planned, with a visit to friends Dave and Jenny, at Bribie Island. The next week is mostly going to be a time of visiting old friends who have left Sydney for life in Queensland.

Spent a nice day on Bribie catching up on old times and also had a short tour of the island. It has certainly changed since I was there in the late 1960’s. Like everywhere else, the population has increased a thousand fold. Dave and Jen have a lovely new house in a new development area, so everything is fresh and inviting. Took off next morning for the Gold Coast and arrived to a packed Tallebudgera Caravan Park. It is a nice setting though and a clean park, although our ‘grass’ site had next to no grass on it and the flowering eucalypts left a carpet of blossoms and sap all over our cars and vans. Going to need some elbow grease to clean everything once we get home.

Caught up with Tony and Di the first night and went to Currumbin RSL for dinner. Next day we drove up to Redland Bay and had lunch at John Duncan’s lovely Victoria Point home. Next day we just stayed put, while Mark and I went fishing on the beach and inlet and the girls went ‘shopping’. Friday, Con and Margaret came for morning tea and lunch and it was great catching up. They brought the usual yummy cakes, donuts, baklava to tempt us – life’s staples really. That night, last but not least, we went out for dinner with Warren and Jennifer and had yet another nice catch up. Left the following morning for Yamba and three nights at the Blue Dolphin Caravan Park.

There was a cold snap predicted for the east coast and it has hit. Strong winds during the night, almost caused damage to our awning, which by good fortune I managed to wind up just as the wind tore it upwards. It was around 4am, so it was dark and freezing outside. Back into a warm bed until daybreak. The wind was strong all day, as Mark and I attempted to go fishing. It was cold and freezing, so we didn’t last too long. Wendy had driven up to her cousin’s home, at Alstonville, so the rest of us went up to the café in the caravan park and tried to find a place in the sun, but out of the wind. We didn’t succeed. The recreation room and pool area is quite large and amazing. Big screen televisions, three different heated pools and a snooker/pool room with five full size slate tables. The wind died down a little bit after dark, but it is still very cold. Woke up this morning to 6 degrees temp and the wind is still here, so the plan is to drive in to the township of McClean and have lunch at a nice pub. Off in the morning to Newcastle and then home. The journey has come to an end.