St Lawrence wetlands from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Ken describes his stop at a free campsite besides the St Lawrence wetlands, north Queensland.
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St Lawrence wetlands
May 7th, 2011Carmila beach
May 6th, 2011
Carmila
May 6th, 2011Carmila. Dusk. Harsh servo floodlights. Adjacent a small van park. One or two permanent residents. Otherwise just transients. Overnight stop on the long haul from Mackay in the north to Rockhampton a few hundred miles to the south. Little, I’d been assured, of note between them.
I’d hoped to have reached a free campsite at St Lawrence. It was always going to be a long day. Without the strong headwinds. And I’d spent time sharing experiences with Nick and Tim. Unperturbed. Knew I’d find a stop at Carmila.
Dorothy ran the site with husband Dan. Names something I’d always enquire after. Much, it seemed, to the amusement of fellow travellers. “Cardwell. Colin’s van park“. “Sarina. Judy and husband Dennis“. “Innisfail. Margaret. Lovely lady“. My otherwise not so good short-term memory adapting. Retaining what matters.
Roadside oasis
May 6th, 2011
Roadside oasis from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Brief foray to the coast. Carmila beach. Few miles east. Then back to the servo beside the highway south. Never closing. Late morning. A few trucks. Their drivers – truckies – in the adjacent cafe.
Steady trickle of cars and pick-ups. Small shop. Just the bare necessities. Outside a steady breeze, the odd stronger gust. But warm. Pleasant. Few settlements along the road in either direction. But not barren. Yet it felt more like an oasis than just a roadhouse.
Tandem travellers
May 5th, 2011
Ballsy stuff
May 5th, 2011
Couldn’t help but notice their front mudguard. I’d mistaken it for a Pagan fertility symbol. But Tim was quick to correct me. Bottle opener. I’d met fellow Brits Tim and cycling partner Nick at a truck stop. South of Sarina, along the Bruce Highway. Quite by chance. They were heading north. Up to Cairns. On a tandem. And a small budget. Swapping supermarket hints and tips as much as overnight stops. Woolworths. Discount day Tuesday. IGA independent retailers. Fruit cake on special offer. Two dollars.
But much more intriguing their steed. Cheapest of components. Except for the tyres. Schwalbe Marathon Plus. Ideal choice for sealed roads. And stark contrast to those on their trailer. Numerous punctures.
For all its challenges, theirs was an admirable effort. Two reasons. First. Suspected the tandem was a necessity. Not a choice. Tim visually impaired. Obliged to place absolute trust in Nick on the front. Second. Most important of all. They had balls. Getting on with it.
Queenie
May 5th, 2011
Emma. The bicycle. Skippy. The kangaroo. Wallace. The wallaby. To which I’d now add Queenie. The tent. She’s free-standing – no need for pegs to hold her shape – and so can be pitched on concrete slabs or inside camp kitchens. In Queensland, during the wet season, the difference between a dry night’s rest and waking up in a swimming pool. A muddy one. Hence the name "Queenie". Inspired stuff.
If the cap fits…
May 4th, 2011McCafe in Mackay. Scraggy, greying beard. Blunt. But his heart undeniably in the right place. Very best of intentions. Lost amongst a fractious accent and a manner that’d have Mother Teresa struggling to keep her composure. His lack of social skills striking. An encyclopedic knowledge of subjects various some compensation. Always keen to impart. To share. Gruffly. Product of his environment? Spent an age in Devonport. Imagined he meant the one in Tasmania.
[Please note that names may have been changed or omitted to protect the innocent. And promote the guilty…]
Double Dutch
May 4th, 2011Gutural accents. Not German. Of that I was certain. Dutch or Danish perhaps? I’d ask. Evelyn and Eef were from the Netherlands. Travelling north in a camper van. From Sydney. Part of a year out before University. Sociology and psychology.
We’d met in the camp kitchen. Small but immaculate site. In a small town. Sarina. I had teabags. They had honey. We started chatting. Places to visit. Weirdos we’d met. There’d been a few.
Had they a website? Yes. A blog. In Dutch. Added that I had one. Photographs too. Hosted on Flikr. They laughed. Reputable site it might be. But, as they explained, in the Netherlands, the name means gay.
Worlds apart
May 4th, 2011
Worlds apart from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Slab of tired looking concrete. Up by what’d been described as bungalows. Shabby chalets. Like the rest of the caravan park, worn. My potential pitch far from the facilities. Children’s toys, discarded possessions, broken furniture. Dotted around the units. Their occupants taking bit too much of an interest in my arrival. A camp kitchen that’d be locked up within the hour. Telling.
Five minutes later I’d returned to the first site I’d found in the small town of Sarina. There wasn’t a kitchen as such. Just a sheltered seating area. Judy had been very upfront about that. Nor was it cheap. Which is what’d had me venturing off to check out the other park. But it was immaculate. Cared for. Grass verging on manicured. Judy and Dennis proud owners. Theirs the nicest slab of concrete I’d pitched on. And they even chucked in a towel for me.
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