Day 23 to 24. July 12 and 13 2022. Tannum Sands / Rockhampton. Luxury.

Tannum Sands is the turtles shell! It did rain after we arrived but we were able to handle it, the beach and waterfront are lovely to walk along, and in summer, I am sure there are more people here than at a free giveaway of toilet paper in a pandemic. But in winter it is quiet and a little quirky. On the waterfront, the speed humps are concrete turtles which is a great way to raise awareness of the plight of the loggerhead turtle in these parts. Make sure you have your spleen ruptured as you drive over them at 10 kph. I will never use a straw again, or my spleen.

We also found the perfect sundowner spot – finally. On our evening walk before tea, the Surf Life Saving Club had opened up and we went for a drink on the balcony, with the added bonus that a round was the cost of one drink in Docklands. We watched the sun go down, the full moon come up and a convoy(?) of cargo ships off the shore do their thing. There was nothing else for it but to have another meal out, and a nice way to finish the day.

I have to tell you the highlight of this part of the trip is an innovation in camping that needs to be rolled out everywhere. We are both in the spirit here in being one with nature, but when nature calls in the campsite in the middle of the night, there is the walk to the toilet blocks, hoping no one sees you half dressed and a quarter awake. The showers at campsites can vary in efficacy and satisfaction, but they never vary in the amount of space available to get dressed afterwards. Small, and with each wall being wet, it is impossible not to have a damp patch on the dry clothes.

At Tannum Sands beach tourist park, Linda managed to score a site with……an ensuite. Our own room at the back of the site, with a clean shower, a clean toilet, ample space to get dressed and an ability to leave all your essentials like toothbrush, contact solution, razor, toilet bags in the one spot. THIS, my friends, is indeed the glamping I can get used to. They are hard to secure, and we don’t get another site with one for over a month, but already the excitement is building for the nights booked there.