Sugar Cane

After our brief stay in Rocky we headed north again this morning, and after about 80km into the trip two things happened: the sugar cane plantations started; and Libby realised I'd left my fishing rods behind at Rocky. I contemplated turning around but decided that they were cheap enough that it wasn't worth it. Surely nothing else can go wrong?? As to the sugar cane ... wow!
There is sooooo much of it. We drove through at least 400km of it through Mackay up to Proserpine where we turned off the highway... I imagine that it keeps going for quite a while yet too. As to how much is used for sugar production and how much is used for making ethanol to add to petroleum I have no idea, but the drop in price from 99c to 92c a litre as we approached
Mackay (where the ethanol plants are) is some sort of clue I guess.

We stopped in Mackay for an hour or two for lunch and to top up on supplies, as well as to replace one of our guy ropes which some parrots nibbled through last night in Rocky. Grrr. I also tried to buy some flippers and snorkels but after trying three or four shops which were sold out we gave up.

As we approached Prosperpine I spotted tow Brolga's in just off the road... I had seen a solo Brolga about a 100km back but it was a long way off - these were MUCH closer to the road. There was nowhere safe to pull over though so I had to let the photo opportunity slide. Sigh...

Tonight we are in a caravan park just outside of Airley Beach, the "Gateway to the Whitsunday's". We plan to spend at least three days here, though I'm somewhat dissapointed that all the caravan parks are a long way (a few kms) from the beach. I didn't expect that. It's not so bad though - the park is pristine, has an excellent pool (with water slides and such), and an outdoor twilight cinema. Our camp site in under a Mango tree completely loaded with fruit - pity they aren't ripe yet!! We are going to spend tomorrow taking it easy, swimming, reading, wandering the shops of Airley Beach (there is a bus from the caravan park so we don't have to break camp), and the next day we are going to take a sailing cruise to one or two of the Whitsunday Islands, and perhaps do a bit of snorkeling on the reef. I wonder what the poor folk are doing?

The only photo I took today was from the beach at Claireview (a detour recommended by Gary Piper). It was our first glimpse of the Whitsunday Islands!

Meanwhile, Libby has worked that there are only three essentials for a raod trip through the tropics: surface spray, aerogard and chilled cask of "chardonay" :) As long as there is a six pack of Pure Blonde in the mix I can't disagree!

Cheers everyone. More in a day or two ...