We roll into Bowen after an easy trip from Charters Towers stopping at Ayr for coffee and a look around along the way. Stacey and I figure it’s been 15 years since we were last in Bowen and that trip was a quick stop at the information centre on the highway so we have seen very little of this area.
We setup our van and head out on our first tour of discovery. What a great vibe and feel this town has with wide streets, a range of shops and businesses and laid back atmosphere. There is pretty much everything that a small town could want or need represented here from cafes to hardwares stores and most things in between. We will be able to stock up on items for simple maintenance of the car and van.
It’s an idyllic location with a range of lookouts that offer views across the land to the mountains behind the town and then there’s the ocean and island views. Being at the top of the Whitsundays the coastline with it’s bays and the scattering of islands provide simply breathtaking sights. There’s a good chance I’ll wear out a camera in this place.
Bowen is far from undiscovered though, with the number of caravan parks showing that it draws the Southern crowd regularly. We are lucky with our timing. It seems we have arrived after the Grey Nomad migration, with the bulk of the travelers packed up and headed back down South to avoid the humidity that is Queensland’s summer. We have very few neighbours in the park making it an uncrowned peaceful place to kick back.
We’ll spend a week in this area having a look around and getting reacquainted with the art of fishing. Hopefully, between the two of us, we can at least reel in something of a respectable size that will feed us for one night. I’ll post the photos of the massive haul if and when it happens.
Stacey says that its hard waiting around while I take photos as I spend too much time fussing over the detail and waiting for the right light. The shot below shows the truth. While I’m busy trying to find the right shot, there is wine, cheese platter and fruits to enjoy…
Some more panoramas from around Bowen showing the beauty of the area.
Almost forgot to mention that the “Bowenwood” sign painted onto the side of one of the water towers is still there. This harks back to the days when Baz Luhrmann decided to use Bowen for the base of his 2008 movie Australia which starred Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. It’s not quite Hollywood, in fact, probably nicer.
Stoneworx Photography 