Ariel arrived at the Bowen Marina on Monday the 9th August. We originally thought we would take a berth for a couple of days, but have since decided to take it for 1 month. Andrew, one of the owners here is a very obliging fellow and has the 65foot Offshore next to us. Bowen Marina is only very small and there are no live a boards here, so we feel very special that we have everything we need all to ourselves.
Bobby and his friend Rlung came for drinks on our first night in and the next day John and I went walking up town to check things out. The town doesn’t have much going for it and it’s slightly run down and very spread out, but lots of history. The people are very friendly and everyone you speak to loves it and wants to keep it a secret. We have been to the court house a couple of times looking to vote but there are so many tourists wanting to do postal votes they ran out. We went to the Museum today and to our surprise it was very good and well worth the $5 entry fee. This should not be missed and we believe it is not marketed enough.
I have checked out one of the local hairdressers (Top Kutz) and Kylie did a great cut. I needed it badly as I have not had my hair cut since a couple of weeks before the start of our trip. Michael and Dianna have a catamaran on the same finger as Ariel and are about to move on board for 5 years. They are locals now to Bowen but are soon to take off on their sailing cat “Rosella” which Michael built himself.
By Thursday the court house finally had our voting papers so with that out of the way now we don’t need to worry “ or do we”? Earlier this week John went to pump my tyres up on my bike but the rear wheel would not turn so we found a repair shop down town and left the bike for repairs. I needed a new rear wheel as the spokes were broken in half and we have no idea how that could have happened, but never the less it is now fixed.
Friday with both bikes operational again we went off to ride around Bowen and in particular the beaches. We rode up to Kings beach first which is very nice and much bigger than you would expect from the dirt road entry. There is a nice grassy, shaded area that leads down onto the beach, just perfect for little kids. After a short break we set off for Queens beach which is the most popular I guess. If you have not seen the beaches around Bowen you should stop next time and enjoy them. Horseshoe Bay is very popular and is a perfect little cove very protected and has a nice cafe for food and drinks. Truly, don’t take my word for it, go there!
Saturday and we are off to the Bowen Horse Races. Neither John nor I know much about horse racing but I have been to a few country races and they are normally a good day out and this one did not disappoint. We had a very pleasant day and I came out about even after a good win on the last race.
Sunday I packed my gear and left the boat to go and visit my son Ryan in Tully Heads where he and his wife Nakita and her parents have the local pub, or the Tully Heads Tavern. It is a 4 – 5 hour drive but when you’re visiting your children, time doesn’t matter. Arrived mid afternoon to find the kids hard at work; Ryan behind the bar and Nakita in the kitchen preparing for Sunday night, which is Pizza night in the restaurant. Monday is their day off so off sightseeing we went in to down town Tully first, then to the information centre for some ideas. We are taking the cane trail and will stop at Paronella Park which is in the middle of nowhere but in the tourist season get 500 people a day and is the RACQ’s number 1 places not to miss in Queensland. There is too much to tell you so please go to the website and check it out. www.paronellapark.com.au We had a lovely picnic there and continued our way along the cane trail home.
Tuesday and Ryan and I went fishing in the Tully river or was that crocodile spotting? Within 5 minutes of the boat ramp we came across the first croc. We saw 6 or 7 today but they are everywhere and I have since read that the Tully River is one of the three rivers with the greatest number of crocs in it. I caught a fish but Ryan made me let it go. He said it was just under the legal limit, but I don’t know about that. We spent some great mother and son time just fishing, talking and taking in the fabulous river. A great day even though Ryan and Nakita started back at work this afternoon at 5pm. Running a pub doesn’t allow for much time off. I will spend another day or so here before heading back to Ariel.
Bowen Turf Club
History Ruins at Paronella Park
Teresa on the biggest gum boot in Australia
Ryan and Nakita
The smallest National Bank in Australia in Silkwood on the cane trail
