QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA – Monday 18^th April to Sunday 8^th May 2005

Cliff CHARLESWORTH (47B) & his wife Pauline

[Reporter: Greg PECK]

Days Nine to Fifteen inclusive – Cooroy & Woodgate

Tuesday 26^th April to Monday 2^nd May

The maps that Maggie and I provided were very useful, especially as they broke their journey by stopping overnight with Phil Hutchinson (53a) and his lovely wife Lynne. Poor old Phil had enjoyed the excellent hospitality of the local Cooroy RSL (Returned & Services League) and then the nearby Golf Club after he had attended the previous day's local dawn service and later ANZAC parade. He was a tad hung over and slightly the worse for wear. Phil, who is extremely fond of golf, is an active member of the Cooroy Golf Club, which is only a short distance from his front door. He claims to have found paradise!

The following morning they set off for their destination, which was the beachside Tourist Park at Woodgate. They had to turn off the Bruce highway at Childers, infamous now for the Backpacker Hostel fire that killed several young people just a couple of years ago. The cabin that they had hired turned out to be very comfortable and the sea was just across the road from the main entry into the tourist park. Ensuite facilities made it something of a bargain and although they could only have it for three days, they would have been happy to have stayed longer.

Trips to the town of 1770 (yes, there is such a place), Childers, and Bundaberg filled their days with ample time devoted to beach pursuits too of course, although Cliff never let on if he caught any of the beach belles he chased. Meals were taken at a variety of places and in every instance, were value for money. One of the best value places was a local bowling club, where their patronage was welcomed and an excellent, keenly priced meal was enjoyed. A small local takeaway establishment also served some superb tucker at very reasonable prices.

Pauline was delighted to discover a place that sold the type of souvenir that she had promised to get for her mother and was also keen to have a go at that which she had promised herself. A swim on the Great Barrier Reef.

This was booked for the Saturday, by which time they had left the Tourist Park and found themselves a very reasonable B&B place in which to spend the last couple of days on the Coral Coast. They had to have an early start for this reef trip and were gratified to learn that their host would be up and have a breakfast ready for them at the crack of dawn. The boat left from the Port area of Bundaberg, which is at the mouth of the Burnett river. Sadly, as they were anointing themselves with suntan lotion, Cliff somehow managed to tip Pauline's prescription glasses overboard. With the river notorious for its silt clouded water, soft, muddy bottom and the danger of lurking crocs and bullsharks, a rescue mission was out of the question. So poor Pauline now has to squint for the remainder of their Aussie holiday, still, there is probably one less Groper in the waters out that way now, eh? The boat that they were on took them on a two and a half hour trip to Lady Musgrave Island, a coral cay with a huge lagoon surrounding it. The crew provided an excellent lunch and the lagoon, part of the southernmost reaches of the Barrier Reef, was a magnificent place in which to snorkel, full of colourful corals with gregarious and incredibly exotic fish in all shapes, sizes and hues. It is worth mentioning that the large party of Orientals taking the trip at the same time and very obviously poor sailors to a man, enjoyed what can best be described as a communal barf.

They left the area on Monday and made their way back along the Bruce Highway to the Mango Hill exit, which would take them to the outer (Brisbane) suburb of Joyner, where they would stay overnight with Charlie Bench, a very old friend of Pauline's father. Charlie lives right at the end of a road on a large block of land that is close by a huge lake. A lifelong bachelor, Charlie has two dogs for company and was delighted to see them arrive. He proved to be a mine of information about all sorts of things and was a thoughtful and considerate host.

Day Sixteen – Kingston

Tuesday 3^rd May

Cliff and Pauline set off for Kingston, still faithfully following the maps and route cards provided by the Movements Officer (me). Thankfully, these saw them arrive here safe and sound. A quick lunch and a swift wash of the hire car and we set off in convoy to return the car and also see if a replacement pair of glasses was feasible, given the short time left before their departure on Sunday the 8th May. The car was duly taken back on strength by the hire company and our gadabouts had to pay a small excess for going over the allocated mileage during their solo trip up north. This done we tried to organise some glasses for Pauline, unfortunately, the very special lenses that she requires made this impossible, given the time factor.

A tad disappointed, we made our way back home where we were due to meet up with Roy Dusty Ashman (42a). Dusty, as usual, was very prompt and we had a good couple of hours to yarn and enjoy some chit-chat about our common background as Brats at Arborfield. We sat down for a rather late meal that evening as our granddaughter Caitlyn had been brought around to be babysat while her Mum and Dad went to the gym for a couple of hours. We scoffed one of my specialties, a chicken stir fry. Not a scrap was left on the plates, I'm glad to say.

Day Seventeen - Brisbane

Wednesday 4^th May

On the Wednesday morning, a fair amount of washing was waiting to be done, so that was first priority. Once brekkers and the washing chore was out of the way, we drove to a nearby suburb (Trinder Park) which has a safe and fully monitored car parking area right next to the station and from there caught an electric train into Brisbane.

We walked from Central Station to the Queen St Mall and browsed the city shops, Pauline managed to find some incredibly keenly priced trinkets to take back for her workmates, foremost amongst these was a package of Koala and 'roo adorned key rings. We eventually ended up in the Myer Centre, where we decided to have our lunch. After due consideration of the many eateries available there, we decided to go for a foot long "Subway" roll each. This was duly consumed and we made our way to the Treasury Casino, next to the river and just across the road from the top end of the Mall. While the rest of us wandered around gawking, Cliff had a shot at roulette and increased his initial stake by over a hundred dollars before time urged us on.

Treasury Casino, Brisbane

[Photograph: Margaret Peck]

From the Casino we walked down to the nearby jetty from which you can catch a "City Cat", a high speed Catamaran type ferry craft that ply the Brisbane River for the whole length of the CBD and beyond. The rail ticket, which was from zone 5, permitted us to use any other form of the integrated transport system within those zones for no further charge, as long as we entrained for the return journey before 15.30 hrs or after 19.00 hrs. So our transport costs for the entire day were just $5.40 each at off peak rates. The Catamaran trip is a very enjoyable one and covers a very good distance along the river, these comfortable, well appointed and reliable craft make river travel a pleasure and at those prices, provide an excellent and very cheap excursion.

City Cat jetty

[Photograph: Margaret Peck]

We disembarked from the Catamaran at South Bank, an area of parkland and public facilities that stretches for a kilometre or so along the riverfront opposite the Brisbane City CBD. To provide safe bathing facilities, an artificial beach and lido has been created and fringed as it is with palm trees and golden sand, it looks like a desert island with a huge city looming over it as a backdrop.

South Bank Park, Brisbane

[Photograph: Margaret Peck]

From here we caught a train at South Bank station, just in time to prevent our having to wait until much later to be able to use our cheap tickets. The train duly arrived and so did a small horde of secondary school students. This first lot weren't too bad but at each station we picked up more, all in their various school uniforms. The further out from the city, the less well behaved were the students that boarded the train. One young man in particular let fly with a ripe mouthful and both Cliff and I noted him for future reference. As we prepared to alight at Trinder Park after a most enjoyable day out, the young foul-mouth and his offsider stood up and interposed themselves between Maggie and Pauline. Before I could say or do anything, being stuck behind Maggie, Cliff reached across Pauline and sat the very surprised two teenagers back in their seats by firmly pushing them backwards. Admonishing them for their lack of manners and foul mouths as he did so. They sat there like a pair of stunned mullets and I had to smirk as we walked past them to get off of the train.

A quick trip home and a nice cuppa was next on the cards, than we sat down to one of Maggie's noted Kartoffelsalat mit Knackwurstchen und frische grune salat type meals. With a few beers to wash it down and another babysitting of Caitlyn and that ended another really good day.

Day Eighteen

Published: May 2005

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