Queensland coastal towns: a road trip
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About this ebook
In this article (14,500 words, 22 photographs, and two diagrams) we discuss our road trip from Maroochydore to Cairns and back. On this journey we visited nine towns: Maryborough, Hervey Bay, Bundaberg, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Mackay, Airlie Beach, Townsville and Cairns. Directly, this trip is approximately 3,500km, however with our side trips it was just over 5,000km.
We present the logistics of our trip including trip distances (via strip maps) and costs for fuel accommodation; and briefly describe key attractions and activities along the coast.
Our impressions of each of the nine cities visited is discussed and we identify three key activities/attractions for each city. Furthermore: key facts, things to do, resources for your own visit, heritage buildings and accommodation options for each city are provided in individual appendices.
If you wish to visit the Queensland coast we provide three options: a 21 day driving plan; a 21 day plan for train and bus travel; and a 14 day plan for travelling by air to each of the World Heritage-listed sites on the coast.
The eBook hyperlinks are comprehensive and will support your research, while the photographs will give you a glimpse of what to expect. As the marketers say: “Queensland is beautiful one day and perfect the next”!
Graham Kingston
IntroductionOS Wayfarer is not a business or an enterprise but a passion!At its core, OS Wayfarer is about self-publishing eBooks, especially our travel eBooks. So far, we have self-published eight travel eBooks.OS Wayfarer is sustained through the partnership of Graham and Katherine Kingston. It is our passion for travel, and my (Graham’s) passion (some might say obsession) for personal computing, photography, and project management, that has resulted in OS Wayfarer. Fortunately, Katherine knows her history, provides great editing, calms Graham’s exuberance, anchors the outfit in some reality, and ensures a measure of class.We endeavour, for less than the price of a cup of coffee, to share our travel experiences with you. We hope you enjoy our eBooks.Our approachFour key principles underpin our approach:•We love to take a “Do it Yourself” approach as much as is feasible: in respect of our travel, eBooks.•A cost-effective approach is always front of mind.•A commitment to maintaining standards is important to us.•A desire to share our knowledge and expertise thereby helping others to enhance their travel experiences.We strive to be professional; and to adopt practical, affordable, achievable, and effective approaches to the development and publishing of our eBooks.Our backgroundsTravelWe are retired baby boomers and we have been at this caper, in one form or another since about 2009.We travelled as a part of our professional working lives but to less developed countries. We lived and worked in Bandung, Indonesia (four years), Kitwe, Zambia (four years) and Kuching, Sarawak (two years). These wonderful opportunities provided a rich experience for our family and instilled a desire to travel (perhaps it was always there).We have travelled quite a bit since retiring and intend to continue. To date we have visited various parts of the world: for example, Athens, Prague, Isle of Skye, along the Queensland Coast, Istanbul, Bucharest, Budapest, and Barcelona (it just so happens that all these visits resulted in an eBook!).Earlier we travelled to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, as well as Italy on two Insight Tours.ProfessionalI (Graham) started out as a Radio Technician before becoming a technical teacher, and technical teacher trainer. This foundation led to a very enjoyable career as an adviser, program/project tenderer and manager, and independent consultant in international development assistance.Katherine commenced her career as a primary school teacher before becoming an ELICOS (English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students) teacher, Self-Access Centre manager, and IELTS (International English Language Testing Service) Centre manager.
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Queensland coastal towns - Graham Kingston
Queensland Coastal Towns
A Road Trip
By Graham Kingston
Queensland Coastal Towns
A Road Trip
Copyright © 2016 OS Wayfarer
Smashwords Edition
Written by Graham Kingston
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Contents
Introduction
Our Trip
Attractions and Activities
Our Impressions
Maryborough
Hervey Bay
Rockhampton
Airlie Beach
Townsville
Cairns
Mackay
Gladstone
Bundaberg
Potential trips along the Queensland Coast
Conclusion
Appendices
Appendix 1 - Maryborough
Appendix 2 - Hervey Bay
Appendix 3 - Rockhampton
Appendix 4 - Airlie Beach
Appendix 5 - Townsville
Appendix 6 - Cairns
Appendix 7 - Mackay
Appendix 8 - Gladstone
Appendix 9 - Bundaberg
Our other eBooks
About Us
Introduction
Why would you want to drive up and down the coast of Queensland, Australia? It is a journey of approximately 3,500Km with some long distances between towns; it can be hot and humid; swimming in the ocean can be fraught with stingers; and the tropical north is subject to cyclones!
Well it’s Queensland - The Sunshine State
- where, as the saying goes it is beautiful one day, perfect the next
! And there is better news - with some careful planning the journey can be very pleasant and offer the visitor many unforgettable experiences.
Rex Lookout between Cairns and Port Douglas. This lookout is named after Raymond Rex, a councillor and chairman of the Douglas Shire Council for 45 years. He is recognised as being responsible for construction of the Captain Cook Highway from Cairns to Mosman.
By travelling in the period from May to September (inclusive) you can avoid all the nasties mentioned above and enjoy the many attractions listed below.
The key attractions are:
the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef
the Daintree Rainforest (part of the World Heritage-listed Wet Tropical Forests of far North Queensland)
surfing along the southern Queensland coast (along the Gold and Sunshine Coasts) – as far north as Agnes Water
sailing, diving and fishing in the Whitsundays
sun-baking (anywhere along the coast)
game fishing from Cairns and Port Douglas
beach fishing on the World Heritage-listed Fraser Island (the largest sand island in the world)
whale watching at Hervey Bay (in season)
historic drives and heritage walks
In fact there are numerous opportunities to fish, sail, boat, swim, dive and sunbake along the coast and coastal islands. The coastal hinterland offers plenty of bush walks and historic drives.
Our purpose was to visit, and spend time with, my elderly parents in Townsville while my sister and her husband were gallivanting around the Mediterranean. Plus, we hadn’t driven up the Queensland coast for about 35 years nor down the coast for 25 years, so it was time. We weren’t in a hurry and decided to visit nine coastal cities. Our theme was to photograph as many heritage-listed buildings, which are still being used, as we could.
In this eBook we provide details of our trip – cities visited, distances travelled and time taken, accommodation (location and costs) and fuel costs. The key attractions/activities along the coast are identified. We discuss our impressions (overall and by city) of the trip supplemented by photos (with links to additional photographs on our website) and suggest three key attractions/activities for each city.
Alternative trips along the Queensland coast are identified and discussed, and resources/links provided to help plan your trip. We propose a 21 day driving holiday; a 21 day plan for travelling by bus or train; and a 14 day plan to fly down the coast and visit the world heritage-listed sites. These options can be easily adjusted to suit your need.
An appendix is provided for each city visited. Each appendix presents some key facts, identifies things to do, lists key resources, points to the resources for historical/heritage buildings, and provides links to accommodation options.
Some photographs taken during our trip are included in the eBook. Please visit our website to see posts about, and more photos of, our Queensland road trip: OS Wayfarer Travel Posts.
Our Trip
The Drive
For six weeks from