From Rockhampton, I caught a plane the short distance up to Mackay. My daughter had just moved into a house at Campwin Beach, south of Mackay, near the little town of Sarina. I had to see it.
Views from the veranda. A bit different to the suburbs of Melbourne.
On my second day there, we headed up into the mountains to Broken River, in the Eungella National Park, one of the most reliable places in Australia to spot the elusive platypus in the wild.
The scenery along the way is so typical of that part of Queensland: mile after mile of sugar cane and the sugar refineries that go with it.
We arrived in the Eungella National Park and wandered along the track to the river. It’s a beautiful spot.
Signs reminded us to be very quiet, to allow the best sightings of the platypuses.
We watched and waited, and there they were.
We hung about for ages, watching the little guys going about their work. This is one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever been and it was hard to drag ourselves away.
On the way back, we stopped off at the Eungella Chalet, partly because it had been there since 1933 and was a bit of a tourist attraction, but mostly for the amazing views across the Pioneer Valley.
I thought this sign was funny. I suppose there are people who would be mad enough to brave the ramp.
We headed back down out of the mountains. About 50 km from Mackay, we stopped at the Pinnacle Family Hotel for one of their award-winning pies. I can recommend the steak and potato.
We got home in time to tune into the AFL match from Melbourne. Luckily the television wouldn’t work because my team (Essendon) had their worst thrashing for years.
Planning to the Nth 
Wow! There is no wildlife anywhere like that in Australia.
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I assume you mean in America, Ray? Nope, we’ve got some pretty weird animals here.
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I used poor English. I should have said, nothing anywhere else is like Australia’s wildlife.
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Lovely photos, it’s not easy to capture one of a platypus in the wild. What was the purpose of the ramp? Looks terrifying!
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BTW, it’s Kathy (from Tassie) here, don’t know why it’s showing as ‘anonymous’
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Sorry, Kathy. It’s happening a bit at the moment. Trying to find out why but haven’t found anyone to tell me yet. I don’t know what the ramp was for. Perhaps they have snow in winter?
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Hi Coral,
Another nice glimpse of Australia. Many thanks. We went to Lake Como, Italy and I need to write up my impressions of that part of the world. Another job in an increasingly long list!
Richard
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Thanks, Richard. I’m waiting for that. It looks like a beautiful spot.
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An interesting drive with some stunning viewpoints. Your pie sounded very tasty.
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Thanks, Marion. It was the best day of my adventure up the Qld coast. The pie finished it off nicely. We won’t mention my footy team.
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The Pioneer Valley has to be one of our best kept secrets. Such a beautiful part of QLD.
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For sure, Lindsey. Just stunning.
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What a gorgeous location. So amazing to see the platypus.
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It’s just the loveliest place, Darlene. So pleased my daughter had heard about it so we could go up there.
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