Day 199 The last few days have been spent lounging around the lagoon grass and the beach sand. We both have wicked tans to show for our efforts. At the rate we are going we will never make it out of the north before the summer heat and wet season, hence it was time to move on. We set our goals high and wanted to hit Townsville about 250 kms north. Seems short and simple enough but we just never seem to get far...ever. We started out after breakfast so we have the whole day but somehow it was almost lunch by the time we hit Bowen the next town 66kms down the highway. After taking in downtown and a handful of murals of the 19 they boast (Bowen claims the title as the mural capital of OZ), we got groceries. The beach is never too far so it just makes sense to have a BBQ and eat there. Whilst feasting on chicken wings - first time since Canada - we got talking to a couple who are also traveling and they mentioned Horseshoe Bay. We weren't keen on hanging out in Bowen to try and keep on schedule but decided why not.
So worth it! One of the best lookouts yet! First the beach was unlike most that we have visited. It had a small actual "beach" area and the rest was rocks more rocks and some huge boulders. We went for a climb. The terrain was very interesting to say the least. The rocks ranged in size up to house size boulders. Some of it looked so fake almost like plaster rocks made on a movie set or as decor at a zoo. There were nooks and crannies all over the place and distinguished cracks cut in the terrain by thousands of years of water activity. There was some greenery in there but not much until it got high enough to avoid the tide. Here and there a tree survived and now and then there was a plant trying to start out. The closer we got to the water the crustations started increasing and we could see the crabs running to hide. For some reason they always saw us well in advance. Oh did I mention we seen more whales! Yep another sighting, we still haven't got close enough yet though. The lookout was a very swift five minute hike and breathtaking scenery. Kinda wish we would of run up there when we spotted the whales but we were just too far out on the rocks. Anyway, the view from above was a beautiful 360 degrees. Consisted of about 90 degrees of mountainous forested land, 90 degrees was the actual Horseshoe Bay and the coastline. The rest was ocean as far as the eye could see with a few barrier reef islands interrupting the horizon. The rocks that look so humongous from shore and while climbing them look like a pebble from up there.
Before we knew it it was 5 pm and we haven't even gone 70 kilometers! Quickly..to the Herc mobile!! We don't drive at night so we had to make it as far as possible before sunset. This turned out to be Home Hill a small town an hour away and 10 minutes from Ayr. We found a rest area in the bible and were very pleased with the results. There were hot showers and even a kitchen area with built in BBQs to boot.
This laid back life is the way to go for sure, it definitely helps not having to work. The day got off to a good start today as we went up to Inkerman Hill lookout. It was a little more inland than the last few but we could still see the ocean on one side and vast farmland on the other. I climbed on top of one of the picnic table covers to get an even better view. We hung out up there for a while playing cards, enjoying the scenery and the sunshine. Once back on track our next stop was Ayr - no, we are not back in Ontario lol - for lunch and apparently a few beers. Actually a few too many to drive so we hung out there walking around downtown. We found a second hand store where we bargained for a bigger cooler. We traded in our current cooler and some cash for a nice big one. Once we were good enough to drive we drove to just outside Townsville, there was a truck stop with showers and a lounge free of charge.