SUNDAY 3 MAY     TORQUAY

Some blue sky today, but with cloud and some showers of rain.

In the morning, John made bread. Apart from the usual loaf, he made some rolls that he filled with a tomato and onion mix, a bit like a pizza in a roll. He is becoming quite adventurous with this bread thing. The rolls were lovely for lunch.

After that, we went driving, to explore some of the area. A “my” day!

Firstly, went to Craignish Beach, to the west of Point Vernon. We walked along the beach for a way. It was similar to the Hervey Bay beaches. The tide was well out and there were wide sand flats exposed. There were large mobs of soldier crabs moving about on the flats – thousands of them. It looked like the whole beach was moving! These crabs are tiny – about one inch. They seem to be a pale blue colour on top. As they move along the beach, they leave little balls of sand behind. I presume they are called soldier crabs because they move around in “armies”.

We talked to a local who was walking back along the beach, from fishing. He told John how to find “yabbies” in the sand, for bait. He said that the trawlers we could see in the distance, fishing off Point Vernon, were destroying the whiting fishing for people like us. This guy had a cute little poodle with him that insisted on sitting on John’s foot all the time we were standing talking. It was just hanging out to be patted by John – what is it with dogs and him?

Continued on to Toogoom, next along to the west. This was a small village, spread out along the beach and beside a mangrove lined creek that had a good population of sandflies! The real estate, from what we saw in agent’s window, was cheap. I could not see too many reasons why anyone would want to live there.

Further on, through rain by now, was Burrum Heads. This was much nicer, with a wider river that looked like it might have good fishing. It might be worth bringing the van here for a stay, sometime.

The country around these parts is fairly flat, with areas of swamps. There are lots of paperbarks growing – big ones. Toogoom and Burrum Heads have none of the green, distant hills that made the Noosa area so visually attractive. It is a little bit more hilly, closer to Hervey Bay, around the Craignish Hills, and so a little less tedious.

It was dark by the time we got back to the van.

Tea was bread with salads, and hard boiled eggs.