Day 19 to 20. July 8 and 9 2022. Hervery Bay / Torquay. There's another Torquay in Australia?

Another short drive, but we make a point to go through Gympie. Gympie is the home town to one of our musical favourites, Darren Hanlon. Alas, we did not see him in the street. Walking along the main strip, we were struck by the number of shops that were being rebuilt, and realised it was due to the recent floods. Talking to one shop owner, he said that where he was, the roof level was totally underwater. Quite unbelievable looking at it. While they are in a bit of a valley, it is incomprehensible as to how much water would be required to do that. With the amount of tradies and materials required which are now in short supply, it is amazing to see how much has come back.

We stop at Hervey Bay, or to be more specific, Torquay, and the caravan park is completely full. However, Linda has pulled it off again and we are put off to the side of the main park and are literally on the beach. Like, 10 steps to the sand. The van is backed in, the kitchen is lifted up, tables and chairs out and we are lunching with our sea vista within 15 minutes of arrival. The van is yet to have blinds fitted and when I wake up in the morning, I literally opened my eyes and looked straight at the sunrise. None of this getting up early and trekking off to some spot to see the sunrise at a godawful time in the morning. Looking at it from the bed at a godawful time in the morning is much more convenient. The sunsets are also spectacular, and watching them from the back of the van is truly quite special.

Sun and warmth during the day, but quite cool in the evenings. The Bulldogs played on Friday night and I sat out and watched the game on the laptop. With the game not going well, and a bit of a sea breeze getting into my jacket, I did the unthinkable and turned it off and went to bed at the end of the third quarter. I know it is winter and I have stood on the western oval outer in the middle of winter clutching a cold can, but c’mon, we are on the Sunshine Coast and I expect double digit evenings.