8/4
ROCKHAMPTON – YEPPOON – ROSSLYN BAY – GREAT KEPPEL ISLAND
From the title, it looks like a very long trip, but at 9.30 we are already at Great Keppel Island. Rockhampton, where the bus terminal is located, is the biggest town. I think it is famous for the breeding of livestock, and precious gems. We get there at 6.00. The first bus to Yeppoon and Rosslyn Bay, the Young Bus Company, arrives at 7, so we have time to waste … consuming an economic and rich breakfast in the cafe adjoining the bus terminal.
Yeppoon is a nice village on the sea, Rosslyn Bay, a dozen kilometers further on, is the attractive marina from which ferries to Great Keppel Island leave.
Perhaps someone will ask how I found this place. I do not think it appears in the large catalogs for organized tours. Well, I started reading this name, associated with one of the most beautiful and crystalline sea on the east coast on some old guides at the library, and so I went to search on the web.
The fact is that I wanted to do a few relaxing days, and of course I could not afford places like Heron, Lizard, or Hayman.
My choise was among Dunk, Hinchinbrook, South Molle, Daydream, Long, Hook, and indeed Great Keppel, all with affordable prices (60-90 Aud per room); from the pictures, GK seemed the best.
I was lucky, not small nor large, few paved roads, many paths that connect the various beaches and scenic and hilly look out, several footpaths among brambles and sand flies, large white and deserted beaches, islets reached by canoe, and so on…
We disembark without any reservation, I leave Hannu on the beach and I walk in search of something to sleep. They built very little, there is a unique complex of a certain standard, complete with swimming pools and tennis courts, which do not disturb the harmony of the place, a few bungalows for rent here and there, then a mid-level resort, Bowen, with aside the YHA hostel and camping, and then my choice, the Great Keppel Island Holiday Village, which, despite its name, is not a resort. There are tents, bungalows, dormitories and some double rooms. They have no free doubles, but give us a room with a bunk bed, cost 27 Aud.
Their cuisine is decent. Our mistake was to think that on the island there was a real store. They actually sell some food, scarce and expensive, only at YHA, and at the luxury resort.
Since we did not bring almost anything, we will have to eat somewhere.
In the afternoon, on Putney Beach we see two dolphins come close to shore. I’m the first one to see them, and initially I exchange them for two fat snorkelers. On the whole beach there will be nearly 15 people. The dolphins dart through the waves for a while, then, too soon, go away.
Dinner time, we are looking for a restaurant and it is not an easy task. The Bowen is open, and close to us. The thing that costs less is lasagne (for the astronomical sum of 15 Aud), I order them. They come deposited on a layer of fried potatoes and salad, served with a sweetish vinaigrette sauce. They are almost inedible.
After dinner, romantic walk on the beach, with the help of the torch, truly indispensable here.
8/5
GREAT KEPPEL ISLAND
We rent a kayak for a half day and we paddle towards the small opposite island. We are alone. It’s beautiful. While Hannu is snorkeling, I lie in the sun. After some relaxation, we have the insane idea to climb on top of the hill to see the view from above and especially to see what’s on the other side. There are no paths, but it is not even the Amazon jungle, so we can easily proceed, apart from a few scratches of thorny shrubs.
We reach the summit in 10 minutes. On the other side we see a beach exactly like the one where we have been so far. But there are still other islands, and the whole view is not bad at all. When down, I notice that my tibias are all scratched and bleeding.
In addition to that, and enormously more serious matter, on top of the hill I realize that my camera no longer works. The shutter button is locked, and there’s no way to get it down.
Back at guesthouse, we buy at the reception for 2 Aud a map with details of all possible paths, list of coral reefs, high and low tides, rocks , and so on and so forth.
We go up to a viewpoint. The map defines this as something monstrously difficult, but it is not so. We sit down to refresh us and admire the view, and here I feel tiny bites, I look, I smash the small insect, some measles-like spots are left. In the following days it will be the hell, I’ll have time to get back to work in Italy and they will still be itching…
We go down following another path until Leek Beach, where there is nobody, only the waves and their roar. We do not know what is the time, the sun is covered, but I guess it is quite near the horizon, so it’s better to go back.
We go at the luxury hotel store, and buy some bullshit for dinner. I do not want to repeat the lasagna experience.
8/6
GREAT KEPPEL ISLAND
Today is our last day in this paradise, at 16.00 the ferry takes us back and then another night bus with destination Hervey Bay is waiting for us
This morning we want to reach Long Beach. There is a fantastic sun. It’s not so hard to get to this place, and for at least a few hours we will not meet anyone. The bay is sheltered from the wind, the beach is long at least a couple of kilometers or more, the sea is calm and crystal clear, there is nobody !!! Just us. These things happen rarely, I guess. It’s hard to get away from such a place ..
We arrive on the mainland at 16.45. On the bus which takes us from Rosslyn Bay to Yeppoon, the driver and a third passenger, the only one on board, apart from us, are offering help to us by giving a series of helpful tips, cinema, bowling, etc.
The third passenger is a caricature: he gets up on the coach with a backpack and 3 or 4 fishing rods, which promptly hang up in my hair. He looks like as if he has some troubles with his mind, in addition, it smells terribly like a rotten fish. Hannu, curious, starts a conversation to discover if it is an amateur fisherman or what else, and why he goes around with all those rods. In response, the guy opens his backpack and triumphantlly pulls out a huge aggressive-looking fish. He kept the fish in his backpack without wrapping it in some paper !!! The driver, without even turning his head, begins to sniff the air like a bloodhound, brakes, stops the bus, seize the goods and the close them in the trunk, saying that it is forbidden to bring food on the bus …
We get out at Yeppoon, where we do a tour of the town. At 19.00 we take another bus to Rockhampton. After about 10 minutes at high speed, the bus stops and who goes up? Again, the guy with the fish !! But how did he get so far ?? And why is he going all day on the bus? Well, mystery ….
At the bus terminal we stop to chat with some guys met in Great Keppel Island, meanwhile all restaurants close. So we have to go to Kentucky Fried Chicken. Animated discussion to quibble which are the best between McDonald’s or KFC chicken nuggets.
Returned to the bus terminal, we find the floor happily infested with hundreds of crickets. That’s why everybody put the backpacks on the chairs. We are the only idiots who went to eat leaving them on the ground … .. I go into the bathroom, and I count at least 20 of these insects, all tangled in a corner on top of each other. My God, this sucks .