I had a short but desperately needed break in Queensland late December.
It was originally meant to be a longer holiday under very different circumstances but sometimes life has other plans.
My Stepdad had passed away before Christmas, a day before I was diagnosed with breast cancer and I knew that chemotherapy would start in January, so I was desperate to have a break away before treatment began. Very sadly, my younger brother who had been unwell for a long time, also passed away on my birthday while we were away.
Although the circumstances were far from ideal, the few days in Queensland provided some happiness in what was one of the hardest two weeks of my life.
Driving from Brisbane to Bundaberg
We flew into Brisbane and drove up to Bundaberg for the 1st night. It was my first time doing a road trip up this part of the coast and we stopped in Pomona for lunch which was a lovely surprise. If you are looking for a lunch stop in the area Pomona is a fantastic choice. I loved the artwork on this building by @this_bird and would have definitely visited their studio had they been open.
We ate lunch at the Pomona Distilling Co nearby which was a real surprise - great atmosphere and lots of interesting choices for food and drinks. We were very lucky to get a table so I'd recommend booking in advance if you are keen to visit.
Just in case this happens to others I thought it was worth mentioning our surprise at Google taking us on a lot of dirt road as part of this trip. Thankfully it was all OK to navigate in a normal car, although we were fortunate to have a nice clear day for travel.
In Bundaberg we stayed at the Burnett Riverside Hotel, which has a restaurant that overlooks the river, and I'd recommend making sure you book a room with a river view as well.
As a wildlife lover my favourite part of the day was watching the flying-foxes fly out at dusk for the evening from the balcony - it was magical!
Bundaberg to Gladstone
We started the day with a soft-drink tasting at The Bundaberg Barrel. We were lucky to get a spot on the tasting as we hadn't booked, so if you want to make sure you get a spot, booking is highly advised. I've been a long term fan of Bundaberg Ginger Beer and I'd tried a couple of other flavours like Lemon Lime & Bitters, so it was a great opportunity to experiment with a few other flavours as well, and you get to take home 6 bottles of your choice as part of your tasting experience.
As part of our drive we stopped in at Agnes Water, which is a beautiful beach. I only waded on the edge but the ocean water was the warmest I've ever experienced.
For lunch we stopped at the 1770 Marina and the food at Barraca by the Sea was great.
Arriving in Gladstone for the evening we enjoyed our stay at the Oaks Gladstone Grand Hotel.
Gladstone to Yeppoon
We started the day with breakfast at the Gladstone Marina at Flavours.
We drove through Rockhampton which was a lovely city, somewhere we'd like to spend more time on another trip.
Arriving in Yeppoon we stayed at Island View Two, across the road from the beach. We walked over and I had my next favourite wildlife encounter for the trip, as there was a flock of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos in the trees near the sand dunes!
We caught a taxi the few minutes into town and had a lovely dinner at Vue.
I wasn't very familiar with Yeppoon before visiting but if I was ever in the region again I'd go back in a heartbeat.
Yeppoon to Mackay
Big day today with a morning tour and then the whole afternoon driving but it was all worth it.
We did the Keppel Explorer tour around the Capricorn Coast and it was exceptional. The water in every location we visited was spectacular - incredible water clarity, beautiful colours and great snorkelling. I also had what I'd have to say was possibly my wildilfe encounter highlight for this trip, as I saw a sea turtle when snorkelling, which was amazing! 💚
In Mackay we stayed at the Mantra Mackay and had a fantastic view of the marina from our balcony.
Heading Home
We drove to Prosperine Airport to fly home and were gifted with a beautiful view of the Whitsundays Coast from the plane, and some particularly stunning cloud formations.
It is impossible to have these experiences and not feel grateful. Grateful for the incredible amount of natural beauty we have in Australia, and for the opportunity to explore.
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