WEDNESDAY 6 MAY     TORQUAY

We have extended our stay here by a couple of days. It is now $16.20 a night – still get discount, but no weekly rate.

After an early lunch, drove to nearby Howard, some 25kms away via the Toogoom road. There, we did a tour of Brooklyn House, an old Queenslander style home that has been restored from derelict by its current owners. The tour cost $4 each. This was the childhood home of Dame Annabelle Rankin, the first Queensland woman Senator and only the second female Senator elected in Australia – in 1946. It was her father who had the house built. We chose to visit Brooklyn in order to see what one of these classic Queenslanders was like inside.

The owners seem to have done a great job of restoration of this heritage listed place that was built in 1890. There is much use of cedar and beech timbers, intricate panelling, marble and timber fireplaces. They have some superb old furniture. There were some unusual and beautiful old light fittings. The place did smell musty old though. We were guided around by the lady owner; the tour has to be thus guided because they live in the place.

We looked around the rest of Howard, which has cheaper houses and land, but not much else.

Went on to Maryborough. At the excellent Tourist Info Centre there, staff told us what to see in the couple of hours we had till dark. We went into the centre of town and walked in the gardens there, beside the Mary River. Saw a most impressive, huge old strangler fig.

Went down to the historic Wharf Precinct. The restoration works of the many heritage buildings is excellent. The port on the Mary River was once a huge concern; they even built boats there. It was a real gateway to the interior pastoral lands before the railways came.

Drove back to Hervey Bay via River Heads Road.

We have decided that we will go to Fraser Island, after all. The weather is definitely improving and the forecast is reasonable.

At the caravan park office, was able to book onto the barge from River Heads to Wanggoolba Creek on Friday, returning from Moon Point to the Urangan Marina on Tuesday. That will give us four nights and kind of five days on the island. We can store the van here for $2 a night, which seems very reasonable, as we can leave it on site, with the power connected.

Tea was small whiting fillets that we bought and home  made fries. I still think that there are too many bones in whiting and don’t much like eating it. John eats the bones too!

Much planning to be done now, for the Island trip. It is exciting! This is the first of the “big goals” for the Big Trip!