TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 10     KINKA BEACH TO THEODORE   274KMS

We left Kinka Beach just after 9am, on another hot day.

I’d planned a route via Emu Park, that would avoid going back into Yeppoon. But the driver preferred to obey the GPS, which took us on a roundabout path on back roads and eventually to Yeppoon. He needed three roadside stops before we even reached Yeppoon!

Thence to Rockhampton. The way I’d selected went around the edges of the city centre, but trusty GPS took us right through the middle. Much traffic and traffic lights. Even John conceded that he should have just let me navigate.

We had a big difference of opinion about which way to go after Rockhampton. I wanted to take the Emerald road and then the Leichardt Highway, after Westwood. John always favours the most direct route, on paper, at least, refusing to concede that such is not necessarily the wisest or fastest. For this reason, I try to keep him away from maps, but the bloody GPS now conspires against me.

So, we headed out on the Mt Morgan road. Much more squiggly on paper! We passed a warning sign to the effect that caravanners might need to think twice about going this way, but John pressed on regardless. Then we had to detour, because the road ahead was closed due to a landslide. I suggested we back track and take the Emerald road, but no. The round about, and poorly signed, detour took us through some small villages and then along Razorback Road. The road name should have been a final warning.

On and up the Razorback Range – aptly titled.  One long, bendy section of 17% gradient saw Bus down to first gear and just managing it, by the time we got to the top. We decided this was an indicator that there might be some places, in the future, where it would be wisest to separate the two vehicles and drive them independently – places like the Toowoomba Range and Cairns to Kuranda Road came quickly to mind.

After all that, we didn’t even stop in Mt Morgan. However, filed it away as of future interest. I think John was actually a bit rattled by the morning’s drive and just wanted to get the day over. Takes a lot to rattle him, too.

It took us two hours to get from Kinka Beach to the Leichardt Highway at Dululu, about 100kms.

Things improved after that as we travelled south through grazing country. I could now say I’d been to (through) Banana! It was certainly hotter away from the coast.

Reached Theodore by mid-afternoon. Refuelled in the town. $1.669cpl.

Found a spot to overnight at the Showgrounds. This was quite a pleasant place to stay, on a powered site, for $15. It was a bit prickly underfoot for Couey’s comfort, though. It didn’t stop her from chasing a thrown ball, at top speed, but was funny to watch her then trying to pick her way delicately back to us.

Some late afternoon entertainment was provided by the local CFA burning the growth along a nearby fence line.

Cooked sticky pork strips for tea, with rice. My appetite was back.

V and F phoned during the afternoon to say they’d come across from Gayndah and were now waiting for us to turn up at the Miles Showgrounds, tomorrow.