Day 26: Fri 21 Jul 23 - Yeppoon (GKI)

Fri 21 Jul 23 - Yeppoon (GKI)

Weather: 15 Deg, cloudy, slight W breeze reaching 22 Deg, and clear by midday, remaining clear for the remainder of the day with 20 km/hr NW winds in the late afternoon.

We climbed out of bed, had coffee and breakfast and drove away at 8am for our 9 am departure by ferry from Rosslyn Bay to Great Keppel Island (GKI). There was a slight breeze and so it was a little fresh sitting on the upper deck of the 30 minute ferry ride to GKI. We soon forgot about the cool breeze though when we spotted several whales breaching in the distance - unfortunately too far away for a photo. We arrived on the island then went for a reccy walk around the old resort, then back to a cafe where I left Noel to have  a cup of tea, while I set off for a walk around the resort ruins into the hills to a lookout across parts of the island. The road up was very rough, and quite steep in places, and by now with the clouds clearing, it also got quite warm. With not much to see, and the tracks being unmarked and very rough in places, I returned to the Hideaway Cafe and Bistro where we had a refreshing drink and a good chat with a local Zilzie resident (an ex-surgeon) and his visiting mate from Perth. It was very enjoyable chatting with these two blokes, who were very entertaining. We eventually left them to have lunch at the Rainbow Hut. We could have had lunch at the much bigger Bar and Bistro, but we wanted to give the smaller business our patronage - it turned out to be a good decision, because our burgers were large, fresh and delicious. The venue was also much quieter and had a better outlook. After lunch and a rest, we ventured down to Fishermans' beach where the crystal clear blue waters tempted me for a swim while Noel sat on the beach and watched. The water was simply sensational, and I didn't want to get out. Afterwards, we made our way back to the other end of the beach and waited for the 4pm ferry to take us back to the mainland. On the way back we spotted more whales (probably the same ones), again too far away for photos. From Rosslyn Bay, we returned to the van feeling tired after a very enjoyable day. 


Rosslyn Bay Marina - On our ferry waiting for departure 


Arriving at GKI

Arrival at Fisherman' s Beach on GKI


Arrival at Fisherman' s Beach on GKI


Arrival at Fisherman' s Beach on GKI

The resort where we stayed when last on GKI. It was closed for major redevelopment in 2008, and some old resort buildings were eventually demolished in 2018, but many remain standing - but only just. In Apr this year, the QLD State Government finally cancelled the leases held by Tower Holdings, opening the way for future development again. That was the swimming pool in foreground.

Old GKI Resort in ruins. I recall the restaurant was on the top floor of the building on the left


View across to Yeppoon from in front of the old resort

In front of our lunch venue - The Rainbow Hut

In front of the GKI Hideaway Cafe & Bistro

A very cute resident grazing in front of Hideaway Cafe & Bistro


In front of the old GKI Resort


Looking through the palms across fisherman's beach

A hilly walk to the lookout for views across to the mainland

A hilly walk to the lookout for views across the wetlands and Leeke's Beach

Old Resort workshops being reclaimed by bush

Look closely to see a home which has been reclaimed by the trees and bush

Probably one of the units we stayed in when we last visited GKI, staying for two nights.

Despite the numerous signs around the place, there hasn't been any construction for many years

Walking through the palms to the beach which remains as beautiful as it ever was.

Enjoying the salt air, sandy beach, warmer weather and clearing skies

View across to the mainland from the GKI Hideaway Cafe & Bistro

The GKI Hideaway Cafe & Bistro for a beer

A walk down to Fisherman's Beach for a swim - the water was comfortable enough to not want to get out

Fisherman's Beach

Walk along Fisherman's Beach

Fisherman's Beach - waiting for our ferry at 4pm.

Fisherman's Beach - waiting for our ferry at 4pm.
A stunning afternoon.

Time to leave GKI - a fabulous day.


We spotted Whales on the way over and back from GKI, unfortunately too far away to take a photo, so here's a drawing of one...☺

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 63: Sun 27 Aug 23 - Lightning Ridge

Image
Sun 27 Aug 23 - Lightning Ridge Weather:  3 feeling like 1 Deg and clear this morning with a steady NE wind, reaching 26 Deg, cloudy and no wind by mid afternoon.   It was a slow start to the day, but after coffee, I went out for an extra long walk, about 1.5hrs to the information centre and around town, returning to the van to grab my towel and head across to the Artesian Baths for another dip. It was very hot again this morning, at least 40 Deg, and while sitting there, I struck up a conversation with a retired Vietnamese soldier who came to Australia in 1980. He is traveling in a motorhome with his wife who is unwell, and it was great talking to him and hearing his story.   After returning to the van to get changed, Noel and I   drove into the Main Street for our morning coffee. Having visited Lightning Ridge just two years ago, there wasn’t much more that we wanted to see or do, so the rest of our day, apart from an afternoon drive along a couple of the car door ...
Read more

Day 62: Sat 26 Aug 23 - Goodooga to Lightning Ridge

Image
Sat 26 Aug 23 - Goodooga to Lightning Ridge (Towed 75km) Weather:   5 Deg at Goodooga this morning, reaching 26 Deg at Lightning Ridge. Clear and sunny all day with no wind - more perfect weather.  I ventured out for my early morning walk as the sun came up, and then returned to the thermal pool for a very warm and soothing dip. It felt warmer than yesterday afternoon, maybe closer to 45 deg, despite the fresh morning air. Unfortunately one old guy collapsed at the edge of the pool and he was unresponsive for a few moments. I was at the other end of the pool, and there were six people standing next to him just looking on, but not one did anything to help him, so I rushed over. By the time I got there, someone else from outside the pool came to help me with him, then he started to come too. We eventually got him sitting up and leaning against a pole while he gathered himself, before he was able to eventually get back to his feet and return to his van. He didn't appear to hit hi...
Read more

Day 64: Mon 28 Aug 23 - Lightning Ridge to Molong

Image
Mon 28 Aug 23 - Lightning Ridge to Molong (Towed 472km) Weather: 13 feeling like 8 Deg at 5am at Lightning Ridge, reaching 24 at  Marthaguy Rest Area  (12pm) and 13 Deg on arrival at Molong (3.30pm). We were awake early, so we packed and drove away earlier than planned at 7.20am. There was almost no traffic in either direction, but the road for the first 200km to Coonamble was simply t errible, with lots of roadkill . We drove straight through Walgett, then stopped at a gravel pit for mornos at about the 150km mark, and then continued through Coonamble as well. As we approached Coonamble, the countryside transitioned from dry and arid to more green pasture and  evidence of recent rain along the road side. We stopped at  Gulargambone (240km from Lightning Ridge) to check out the artwork around town. It's a very quiet town with not much here, I  only saw one store open. We stopped here two years ago, and a walk around the small town was just as enjoyable today. J...
Read more