Hervey Bay to Kinka Beach

We left Hervey Bay on Friday morning and travelled out to Highway 1 which took us through Childers to Gin Gin. There were spectacular views of the Great Dividing Range to the west, sugar cane, avocado and manderin crops growing along the way too. Highly recommended, steak & mushroom pies at the Gin Gin Bakery. Yum!

Onwards to Miriamvale, past banana plantations, bypassed Gladstone which according to the road sign is the Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, and on to Mt Larcom for a one night stay at the Caravan Park. Highlights - clean amenities, highway views of semi trailers and coal trains (hundreds of wagons on each train it seemed) rattling by all night.

Kinka Beach


On the road again Saturday morning to Rockhampton, our turn off point to Kinka Beach on the Capricorn Coast. There is a wonderful sculputure of a bull at the beginning of town in Rocky and as noted by Adrian, has his balls bolted to the ground so envious humans can't steal them! Enlightening information for all!

Kinka Beach is a little community nestled between Emu Park, where a cousin of mine lives, and Yeppoon, a much larger resort and holiday area than when I was last there about 12 years ago. The Caravan Park is right across from Keppel Bay and looks out over the Keppel group of islands which was named by Captain James Cook. Great Keppel Island is directly in front of the Park. The tide goes out for miles and it took me 20 minutes to walk from the shore to the waters edge and what a view. When I turned around to walk back I had views of the bay sweeping around from both headlands. Thousands of soldier crabs on full parade, marched around the beach, running for their lives and burrowing into the sand at first opportunity when approached.

The Singing Ship

We stopped at The Causeway cafe near the caravan park for a feed of fish and chips for lunch; Red Emporer fish - delicious!

Pretty views of volcanic plugs and spills,(small pointy mountains and rocks rolling into the bay) and pineapple, paw paw and banana farms dot the countryside. The Singing Ship at Churchill Point, Emu Park is a memorial erected to Captain Cook and it sings very loudly when the wind blows, so I'm told.

Churchill Point to Great Keppel Island

This has been our last taste of the Pacific Ocean and beach in general for quite a while to come. Darwin will be the next time we smell sea air and have sand between our toes and in our beds!