Bribie Island

I had heard of Bribie Island, and knew that it wasn't a long time ago that there was a bridge built across from the Caboolture area for access, but then found it was 1963, andI was quite surprised at this.
Dick and Gloria's friends, Bill and Dawn had left Wheeler Heights some years ago and settled on Bribie Island on the canals. We were invited over for a BBQ lunch and afterwards a trip in his boat around the canals, which was quite nice, but there was a nasty fire haze over the area which spoilt the views.

Rick and I drove out to Woorin and Red Beaches, very flat surf, but lots of nice houses around the area,but a little too remote for us to live in that area.

Sunshine Coast

Mayfair Lane, Buderim

                                      Cassowary at Australia Zoo

                                     Koalas at Australia Zoo

                                        Dean Francis

Jan Francis

Gympie was our morning tea stop after leaving Hervey Bay, and then at Nambour for lunch. We were invited to stay at Andrew Young's rented house in Buderim for a couple of nights as he was overseas, and we left our vans at Maroochydore in the gated property of theirs which was on the market. His daughter, Vanessa, invited us for dinner at their home, which was very nice.  We had known her since she was quite young.
Lunch was had at Mooloolaba near the beach, and a visit to Sunshine Plaza shopping centre was next. We were invited to Sandra's for dinner the next night, ( Andrew's sister).
Next day we drove down to Caloundra where we enjoyed a picnic lunch, and also visited Dicky Beach and Moffatt Beach where we had stayed many years ago in our caravan when the children were under school age. Pelican Waters is a huge complex with a golf course included where our friends, Jan and Dean have purchased a unit.  Dennis and Diane had invited us to come around about 3pm and to stay for dinner and have a catch up.  Dennis, I met when I was at school, and then he was another member of the Bank staff whom I worked with. Diane also worked in the Bank along the Peninsular and I had know her as well, it was a small world !  Diane and I chatted about the staff members we remembered from all thos years ago. Dennis' daughter, Fiona and husband, Kobi were due to stay with them in a couple of days ( Fiona is our god daughter)
Next day we travelled to Montville to visit Jan and Dean, Jan and I have been friends since our Banking days as well, and we have visited them many times over the years - in many different towns in Queensland !

Scarness Beach, Hervey Bay

It was only a short trip to Hervey Bay from Bundaberg and we set up camp in the caravan park - we didn't realise we were under a tree which held Bats and other birds which left nasty messages on the roof of the car and caravan which needed scrubbing off !
We called in to see my friend, Christa, at her hairdressing salon at Urganan, just along the beachfront from the van park, surprising her with our visit, and booking a haircut for later on in the afternoon.  When we came back, her husband, Fritz, was in the chair having a haircut !  They had only arrived home from Austria a couple of days before, so we were lucky to catch them.   Christa gave me a haircut,the shortest I'd ever had it since leaving school, but everyone liked it, so I was happy.  She invited us back to her home for coffee on Saturday afternoon, which we enjoyed.
It was too windy and the weather not so nice for Dick and Gloria to take their booked Whale Watching Cruise whilst we were at Hervey Bay, we had already had one in Sydney a couple of years ago, so hadn't booked as well.

Bargara Beach, Bundaberg

Rick and I had visited Bargara Beach last year whenwe stayed in Bundaberg, and thought it would be nice to stay there on this trip - it wasn't far out of Bundaberg and it was right near the beaches.
We rang Margaret Hayes to let her know we were in town and she invited us for lunch the next day, Margaret and her late husband, Dickie, had been friends of Mum's since meeting them at Teachers College in Sydney, back in 1955, and we had been corresponding and visiting them ever since.  They used to live on a sailing ship "Galatea 11" on Pittwater many years ago.
There was a house - Fairymead House - in the Botanical gardens at Bundaberg which housed the Sugar Cane history of the area, so we spent some time there.
Next day we drove out to Burnett Heads and took a picnic lunch and sat by the sea there, then went to the Turtle Rookery at  Mon Repos on the way back

Yeppoon

                                         Rockhampton

Singing Sails

Lorikeets

We left the windy Carmilla Beach and headed towards Yeppoon, stopping at Waverley Picnic ground where we were inundated with Lorikeets - we offered them some chopped apple, but they grabbed the whole apple from Dick's hand, he was still eating it !  They hung around for more and were sitting on our hands and heads before long - there  were dozens of them !
We arrived in Yeppoon and after unpacking drove to the nearest shopping centre - upon walking into Coles supermarket, we couldn't believe our eyes, walking in beside us was Ian Barnabas !  I had been reading on facebook that his deceased ex-wife, Louise's , ashes were buried a couple of days before beside the graves of her parents, and Ian was in Sydney to be with his 3 daughters, and also attend his grand daughter, Hannah's, first birthday party, then to see him  right near us was amazing.  He invited us for morning tea the next day at his home.

We drove into Rockhampton to have a look around and had a picnic lunch down by the Fitzroy River, and returned to the caravan park via Emu Park where we saw the "Singing Sails" and had coffee there. Yeppoon caravan park was very nice and the Managers were very helpful and courteous.