Day 9: Fri 1 Jun – Bowen to Ravenswood

Drive: 275km; Total towed: 1214km

7 (feels like 4) - 24 deg C, fine and very sunny 

We left Bowen about 9am and stopped in Ayr for mornos. We stopped adjacent to ANZAC Park, brewed up and then went for a walk around Ayr. We needed to do this to pass away some time and to stretch the legs. Mornos and walking completed, we moved on. Lunch was at Reid River Rest Stop. 

We arrived at Ravenswood just after 3pm. We elected to free camp at the back of the Railway Hotel as it was a "free camp".  Little known fact - you spend more on pub meals for two than you would spend at a paid camp and use your own food. Never mind, it was a nice place to camp, apart from the millions of prickles. After setting up, we walked the town and it is quite a gem; lots of little things like old hotels, houses and buildings, not to mention the old mine sites. 

We had a pre-dinner drink before heading inside the pub for dinner. It was so cold after we’d finished dinner that we all went back to our respective "houses" and retired for the night. 

Sunrise

Sunrise - looks like Mt Fuji in the background

Our dinner venue last night

Ayr Cenotaph

Ayr Masonic Hall

Ayr Tourist Information Centre

Ayr clocktower

Renovators delight at Ayr

Lunch stop - Reid River rest stop

Ravenswood Railway hotel free camp

Ravenswood - a rather sad, old windmill

The back of the Ravenswood Hotel

Ravenswood public toilets

Ravenswood Ambo Station

Ravenswood Courthouse and Museum

Ravenswood Cenotaph

Ravenswood Post Office and General Store

Imperial Hotel Ravenswood

Ravenswood

Ravenswood Deep Mill site

Dinner

Sunrise at Bowen

Ravenswood free camp

Old stuff at Ravenswood

The Mabel Stamps, Ravenswood

Ravenswood

Day 8: Thu 31 May – Bowen

11-25 deg C, sunny and very windy! 

After a massive sleep-in (only woke up at 6:15am!) we had breakfast then hopped on the bikes just as the wind decided to blow in, and not very gently at that. We rode the foreshore and then into town to recce a coffee shop. Once found, we headed out to Mullers Lagoon. It was then back into town to the coffee shop, aka Joccheims Pies, for mornos. After the rather substantial mornos, it was onto Queens Bay, Grays Bay, and Horseshoe Bay. At Horseshoe Bay we walked up to the Rotary Lookout which gave us some spectacular views of Horseshoe Bay and the ocean beyond. There was a large Navy ship out there. Before heading back to the van for lunch, we just had to have a go at riding up Flagstaff Hill to visit the Interpretive Centre. So, after a fairly hefty climb, we discovered the Centre was closed - Cyclone Debbie (Mar-Apr 17) had caused it to close and it has been closed ever since. So, we had a look at the view instead. Coming back down the hill was good. 

Lunch and an LLD were had, then whilst Wendy did some "work", Greg went out again to do some admin stuff. We then discussed where we would head tomorrow and the final decision was Ravenswood.  

It was then time to walk to the pub for our traditional Thursday night pub meal. We went to the Grand View Hotel and Wendy had a steak and Greg had a kangaroo steak washed down with a Marlborough Sav Blanc. The walk back was good to settle the dinner. It was a bit fresh on the way home as the wind had not yet gone to bed. Another good night on the road.

Bowen is a very progrssive town/city

Bowen jetty

A bit windy today??!!

Bowen Cenotaph

Bowen's main street

Mullers Lagoon

Queen's Bay

Horseshoe Bay

Horseshoe Bay from Rotary lookout

From Rotary lookout

Walkway up to Rotary Lookout

Pretty coloured cabins at Horseshoe Bay

From Flagstaff Hill

Greg & Mark and a snake-like rope on Flagstaff Hill

Three big boats on Bowen jetty

Bowen foreshore

Fig tree growing around a rock