From Noosa we headed up to 'The Rock' - Rockhampton has nothing happening in it but was founded on cattle ranching where they created a new breed of cow called a braford - a cross between a hereford and a brahum or so my mum has informed me on her research. Like I said, nothing there and we had taken an ovenight bus which got us at this thoroughly scintilating place at 3.30am...the servo (service station)is not very exciting for 4 hours let me tell you! The bonus to this service town is that it is the gateway to Great Keppel Island. This is a tiny and completely sand covered island with a couple of houses on it and a really nice tented campsite. It is so remote and the only vehicles are a few 4x4's or tractors to take your heavy bags from the ferry to the site which is very difficult if you had to drag it there yourself in beautiful fine white sand. So 4 days cast away on a desert like island (oh I confess, the clouds caught us up again and there was a cracking thunderstorm and heaps of rain for 2 days but the other 2 days were scorchers (30+ degrees) and definately turned us another few shades of brown!!), then back to the hostel at 'The Rock' to do some washing and shower in fresh water rather than salty bore waterbefore getting on the nightbus to Airlie Beach.