The landscape changed quite significantly after Townsville. From your rainforested hills meeting palm fringed beaches with mangrove inlets to a much drier, flatter type of countryside with the hills slowly receding inland. Miles of flat cane fields interspersed with a sugar mill or 2 and elaborate rail systems with cane trains of about 100 carriages cris crossing the Bruce Highway. The Bruce must be the most worked on bit of road in Australia. We have decided there must a be a university for stop/go people somewhere in Qld as there seem to be literaly hundreds of them on the highways. Eventually as you approach Bowen the cane fields give way to market gardens with capsicum and tomatos seeming to be the crop of the moment.

Bowen is very different to other coastal stops we have made. At the northern most end of the Whitsuday Islands area it is a town of many lovely beaches and coves some sheltered others open. There are a couple of great, quite spectacular, lookouts that give you a good perspective of the surrounding area. The town seems to be a grey nomad haven with a lot of caravan parks, all full, many of the inhabitants seem to be regulars and spend the winter here every year. Backpackers stop at Airlie Beach about an hour south of here where you can access the islands easily and there is a thriving social scene. The town is flat mostly and facilties for cycling and walking using extensive paths made to suit linking all of the tourist sites are very good. There is a water park near the marina which also houses 2 great fresh seafood outlets. There are also many land based fishing spots which we have seen little of so far on our trip (mainly due to the croc hazard)

Our caravan park is right on the beach next to the golf club with the clubhouse overlooking the ocean. So when Susie has digested her fresh prawn and grilled 'grunter' fillet lunch with a little nap a hit later this arvo followed by a few beers, the weekly $5,000 draw and another feed seems in order. Hope we win !!