Busy place this Mackay , traffic flowing on to work from about 5:30am ( and we are in a suburb in North Mackay ) , also some rain through the night . We had a good nights sleep and had breakfast while the rain came in .
We had an inspection again this morning , and then headed down to the marina for a look . The break wall was closed for work - we had driven out to the end last time we were here - so we went to the beach for a look , but it was very breezy so we didn’t get out . Driving back around to the harbour we went to the boat ramp and restaurants & bars . There are heaps of boats and yachts moored here .
The rain looked to be coming in again , so we headed home to get the washing in before it got rinsed again . We then drove into Mackay to do the Heritage Walk and check out the old buildings and streetscapes . There is a walkway that runs beside the Pioneer River for kilometers , where it isn’t a raised timber walkway , it is a cycle / walking track that circles Mackay .
We wandered around the streets in the centre where the old business district was . The building style is predominantly Art Deco style . There is a lot of work going in , with buildings being renovated , footpaths being paved and roads being redone . There didn’t seem to be a lot of people there though , even seeing as it was lunchtime . Mackay is a large city of 180,000 people , and spread out a long way.
We found a workwear & western gear shop with huge display windows . Upon looking inside , we found the walls covered in shelves , with ladders that slide along - it was like we had stepped back in time !!!! The place was filled with stock - jeans , jackets , shirts , boots & hats - every imaginable Akubra style and then some !!! One of the ladies asked if we needed some help , then offered us some brochures , told us to take photos at will and told us the business had been here for three generations , and was still being run by family . My hat needed replacing so I bought one - she wrote out a receipt by hand and placed the new hat in a paper bag for us !!! How cool was that shop !!!!
We then got back in the ute and headed east , finding our way by following our nose . We ended up beside a park - Queens Park to be exact . There a many awesome specimen trees that have been here for along time - 125 years for some !!! There are also 2 cricket ovals and a plant nursery and orchid house - all immaculately kept . The orchid house only opened between 10 - 11 am and 2 - 3pm weekdays , so we waited 15mins for it to reopen . The sign said to take an hour or two to check the orchids out - it was an octagonal building the size of a 4 car garage , that wouldn’t take an hour or two !! Well we spent 40 mins in there , there were all sorts of orchids , some flowering , some not , some tiny , some the size of an orange , all colours - but it was amazing !!! We have been to orchid gardens at Cairns & Singapore , but this display left them both for dead . Here are just a few -
After the orchids , we headed out to East Mackay - that’s where we ended up anyway - at the beach - even though it was overcast and threatening to rain again , it was still great . The tide was a long way out .
Time to negotiate our way back to the RV . We ended up coming out at South Mackay near the information centre again , so it was an easy drive back to the northside for some cheese , bickies & a beer - and to do the blog as well .
I even got a photo of a Whistler Duck for you.
They have been busy sitting under the RV , just below our recliners and whistling there little heads off - noisy little buggers !!!!
Todays map link :-https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=z1G8gwwxwyYo.kHOioeb4Wsso
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