For the October long weekend we travel down from Bowen to Mackay and stay at Blacks Beach just to the north of the city. It’s a great spot right on the beach which allows us the opportunity to enjoy long walks both morning and evening while discovering the surrounding area during the day. We start our weekend with a trip into the city heart and a walk around to get acquainted with the easy going feel of the place.
Mackay is easy to get around and doesn’t take long to grasp the layout of the streets. We enjoy a nice lunch before heading out to the marina area for a look around. The sea wall that has been put in place at the marina is certainly built to last.
Sarina
Driving down the coastline we pass through areas of sugar cane farming and it gets us thinking about the industry, how it works and how successful it is given the current pressure on farmers. We find a place in Sarina called the Sugar Shed, run by the Mackay Council, which provides a look into the industry.
The Shed is located right next to a working sugar mill however, due to safety reasons, it uses it own scaled down versions of the equipment to demonstrate the various stages of processing. It’s a good look at the life cycle of cane processing and answers a lot of our questions around how long it takes to grow the cane right through to the methods used for cutting and delivery to the mill. It’s encouraging to see how the industry utilizes every part of the cane for various stages of the operation and recoups its by-products for fertilizers and energy creation. It’s also interesting to note that most of the sugar produced is exported.
Hays Point & Dalrymple
On the way back we decide to follow the coastline starting from Sarina Beach. It’s an interesting blend of bush meeting beach in many of the places we stop. While exploring we continuously cross paths a coal train and decide to follow it’s journey out to the Hays Point and Dalrymple coal loading facilities.
What we find amazes us due to the sheer size of the operation. There are the twin jetty / loading terminals in action loading up a variety of ships with at least another 20 ships stationed off the coastline waiting for their turn. The stockpiles of coal are enormous and the reclaimers (Scoop wheels) are continuously spinning, picking up the coal and transferring it to the ships via a maze of conveyor belts. Its an incredible operation to watch.
Seaforth
Sunday sees us head to Seaforth just north of Mackay to visit the local markets and look at the area including Ball Bay and Cape Hillsborough. The markets are a surprise mainly due to their size. Far bigger than we anticipated which allows us to stock up on a few items, fruit and vegetables, as well as make an investment in a much better performing mosquito coil holder. Meet ‘Smokey’ the turtle.
We had been using a mass produced arrangement from Bunnings but found that it was not living up to expectations, which basically means Stacey was being bitten. Our turtle, while looking far more attractive, seems to allow the smoke to flow much better.
While at the markets we are told by one of the stall holders that we should make the drive out to Cape Hillsborough and to enjoy high tea at the Old Station Tea House while we are out that way. Talking to the locals is still the best way to get great tips with neither of these places disappointing us.
The coastline at Cape Hillsborough is impressive but the day is a bit overcast so the photos don’t quite do the area justice. It is well worth the drive and a look around. Apparently at sunset the local kangaroos wander down to the beach and are quite comfortable mingling with people.
On the way back we stop in at the tea house which is an old railway station that has been shifted onto a 1.5 hectare property. The outdoor area has many decks that have been built around existing trees so we get to enjoy fresh scones and tea, made the old fashioned way, under a leafy canopy. We also notice they have a very impressive pizza oven but we are unfortunately too early to take advantage it.
After the long weekend we will head inland again, this time to the west of Mackay to look at Finch Hatton Gorge and Eungella Dam. But right now, it’s time for another walk on the beach.
Stoneworx Photography 