Lyn was getting the bikes off , and one of the service girls was giving her a hand !!! They gave as a couple of bottles of water and sent us off . They would have driven us any where we needed to go , but we decided it was time for some exercise , and what better way to see some of Rockhampton than on the bikes .
We made our way down to Quay St , where the older buildings are , there is also a great walking / cycling track beside the Fitzroy River . Rockhampton was a bustling port , back in the day , and must have been fairly prosperous , judging by all the buildings .
Crossing the old bridge over the river , traffic was very busy for the morning peak hour - Rockhampton is not bustling anymore , it’s overflowing with traffic . Riding down toward the racecourse beside the river was pleasant , as we dodged the traffic and went on some quieter roads , before heading back up Musgrave St . Arriving at a shopping centre ( for a toilet break ) and a haircut , we had managed to pass away at least an hour & a half !! Continuing on , we headed to Ray’s Outdoors ( to check out camping gear ) , yes camping gear - we are considering going up to the tip - Cape York - and will be needing to get some camping gear as the RV probably wont be going up there !! we bought a tent ( that will be another story for another day ) .
Wandering over to BCF and checking other things out ( wasting time ) , we received a phone call from Garry ( our friend / RV dealer ) , who has an interested person in Mackay that would like a look at the RV when we are closer - we will ring them when we get there ( we dont mind showing it off !!!! )
It had turned 12 noon , so we headed off back toward the river and found a nice park to sit & have lunch , the traffic had calmed down to a dull roar , but we didn’t mind , as it was another glorious blue day , 26 degrees with a cool breeze blowing .
We found our way to the new bridge and crossed the river again , stopping for some photos of the rail bridge and the Barrage ( looks more like a weir to us , but what do we know ) .
We then tried to get closer to the barrage for a better look , so followed the river on more bike tracks up the the aquatic centre and show ground / exhibition park - where Beef Week was still happening . The track shrank to a footpath and then stopped abruptly without warning - luckily there was a road right beside us . The road had turned into an avenue of cattle trucks / horse floats - we have never seen as many in one place before , then there were all the other ones that were camping in the showgound on the other side of the road . We were getting close to the Barrage , and were riding around the streets close to it , houses were the only thing separating us from it - and unfortunately that was the way it stayed , we couldn’t get any closer !!
Cruising back , we stopped at one of the many covered picnic platforms that overlooked the river - there was a fish cleaning table , tables & seats and a BBQ , disabled access ramps & steps - a credit to Rockhampton !!! While there we received a call , telling us the ute would be ready in half an hour , so we headed back .
The ride back down the river was great , and we were back to the dealership at 3:15 , half an hour after the phone call . The ute was being washed and was nearly ready , I went in and checked with the service attendant - Kaitlyn - who gave us another couple of bottles of water . Another 10 mins and we were packing the bikes on and heading up to Ray’s Outdoors to pick up the tent , before getting back to the RV.
It was definitely time for a beer and snacks as we watched the sun go down and chatted with Garry & Linda again ( they both had today off , their days off don’t always line up together ) We had to get our jackets out - yes it was getting cold !!!! , but we stayed out , then had the treat of the day - watching the moon rise over Mt Archer - it wasn’t full moon - that was Monday or Tuesday - but it was still magical . We also watched the lights of many planes come & go from Rocky airport .
Before we knew , it was 10 pm - time for a shower & bed - that is the reason todays blog is appearing on Saturday .
Saturdays blog will be noticeable by it's absence - we have packed up , and headed out to Yeppoon after having a fabulous week with the Scofields , who have been delightful and great company as well , Thankyou Garry & Linda !!!!!
Cheers .
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