Smugglers and Customs Officers at the Whitsundays - 1st August 2012 Space is critical when travelling with the two bikes and a trailer, so for some time I have been the Smuggler. When we pack up to leave every spare cubic centimetre of space is precious. I realized I was wasting a lot of space inside the camp table when it is folded in half for storage in the trailer. Now I pack as much of our foodstuff as possible inside, it is amazing how much fits in there...

Prosperous Mackay Qld, and Clever Mr Fixit: Sunday, Monday 29, 30 July 2012 Our impression of Mackay is that it is a prosperous big town with evidence of coal mining causing this prosperity. The Central Caravan Park in Mackay where we stayed has lots of permanent mining residents there. This Park has a great camp kitchen area, huge, clean and well-equipped. And the bathroom area is the biggest we've seen on our trip so far; Dave took a photo of the mens, same as...

Luck, Angels and Ockie Straps in Nebo. - 28th July It is a luxury to roll out of bed and onto the bikes without a tent pack up. 286km today to Mackay without the pack up; what a breeze. I thought WA was digging up the resources and shipping it out but when you see what is happening in Queensland it is a real eye opener. Coal mine after coal mine and multiple very long trainloads of coal heading for the port. Just as many empty trains returning the other way...

Travelling to Clermont - 27th July This was to be one of our longer trips that we have done for some time, only a distance of 396km and the thought of a cabin at the end of the day. We were expecting a long straight and boring trip but instead the scenery and road was quite varied and interesting. We had been told by some people that hit a kangaroo on the road recently that it was littered with road kill and that there was a lot of road works. The roadwork ...

Fix Bayonets, Man the Trenches - WW4 in Charters Towers - 23rd to 25th July Muttabuttasaurus! Muttabuttasaurus! Muttabuttasaurus! There I have got that off my chest. Ever since coming across the Muttabuttasaurus in Hughenden I have had the name stuck in my head and Trish has heard me say it soooo many times. Say it out loud 10 times and you will be hooked too. I dare you! The ride from Hughenden to Charters Towers was interesting and uneventful. The...