Friday the 13th

Friday started like any other ordinary day. We set off to the Livestock Exchange (ie: the cattle auctions) to witness this most central aspect of life in the beef capital. Faye decided to dress for the part, with hair in plaits, an Akubra hat, and a checked shirt. But somehow I think the diamantes and crystals on the pants and shoes didn't quite complete the image.

The place was full of fast talking auctioneers and macho men in their RM Williams boots and hats, covering sun ravaged faces and ears half eaten away by various skin cancers. There were many pens full of prime cattle - the noise, and the smells, were quite overpowering. It was certainly an experience.

We then headed off to Yeppoon, which is a small coastal town, and the beginning of the Capricorn Coast - a string of even smaller towns that wound their way south. Before we actually got to Yeppoon, we pulled into the Tourist Info Centre to plan our next few days. I went in first, expecting the others to follow, but they did not come. Eventually I went to check and found them having coffee from a coffee van which was in the parking. It was about to pull out, so they had to get their coffee while they could. I thought this was a bit premature as we would be driving into town, and surely there would be better cafes there. Somehow, I think they must have had a premonition of what was to come.

As we came to pull out of the parking, John's van refused to start. We pulled back in to help - the hood was up and the boys were trying various things, but to no avail. RACQ was quickly called, and the man arrived in excellent time. He also tried various things, but could not get any farther. It was decided it had to be towed to the workshop, where the diesel mechanic could give it a proper once over. This was easier said than done, as it was a big vehicle and wouldn't fit onto any tow trucks in town. They would have to get one to come down from Rocky.

There then followed a number of phone calls, paperwork and negotiations between RACV and RACQ to work out all the logistics. It was at this point, while filling out all the papers, that we realized it was Friday the 13th, and a full moon to boot.

But in the midst of all the commotion, someone was looking after us. Just as the morning was passing and we started to think about lunch, there was a pie van in the parking area. When we went to check it out - he had 4 hot pies left, just as he was about to finish for the day. And the coffee had also been provided, at our fingertips. The car park also looked out on the sea, and had picnic facilities and a BBQ area. Also as we were so close to the Tourist Info Centre, there was free Wifi. Altogether, not a bad place to break down.

We kept ourselves busy with checking emails and doing our homework with our blog entries, while awaiting the tow truck. By this time it was late afternoon, and we had no idea how long it would be. John and Faye would be provided with motel accommodation, but we had to find a place for our van for the night. We rang around but the caravan park in town was full for the weekend. Finally we got a spot at a town about 10 kms away.

The tow truck didn't arrive until about 7 pm, and loading the van in the pitch dark was quite a business. We took Faye and John to the motel, just a couple of minutes away, and had a long awaited dinner.

It had been a long day, and it was very late and dark. We really weren't keen on traveling 10 kms back to the caravan park. The motel was very empty and had a big empty parking area up the back, and the man was very friendly. So we gave it a go and asked him, and he agreed that we could park our van there - free camping!

Although it is never pleasant to break down, if you have to do it, Yeppoon is not a bad place to do it in.

GeorgeY's bit

The stock exchange (live stock that is) is a must here, even if you are not into share tracking. The traders buy the whole pen of steers or cows, bidding per kilogram, then the whole group is weighed for the final price (usually less than $2 a kg). Reasonably high tech microchips on cow's ears are scanned, and wirelessly sent to another lady with a tablet computer, recording the price.

God provided for us when we were stranded near the Tourist Info Centre. Free WiFi was available, even after dark. And later other campers, mostly younger, came and set up for the night.