Ayr, Queensland

Ayr is a lovely town with all the shops one would need.  The main street in long with shops either side.  There are not shopping complexes as in all under one roof.
Ayr is in the tropic on the eastern side of Australia and we had to go this far north to get warm in winter last year.
Ayr has a population of about 8,738 people and is the centre of the sugarcane-growing area.

The Post Office below was opened in 1883.

A place to sit in the shade and have a picnic in the main street in Ayr.

The town clock in the middle of a round a bout and below the shopping area and main street.
There is shelter in the middle of the road for cars and people.  I chose to take the photos on a Sunday because there wasn't anyone about.

Alva, Queensland

Alva Beach is a little beach side town near Ayr in Queensland.  15 minutes drive and you are there.  Tractors are usually used to pull boats out of the water and tow them into. The town has nearly 300 people. There certainly was no one about when we visited that day.

Alva has a longish beach which looks onto the Coral Sea..

Alva on the map is surround by red.

Burdekin Bridge, Queensland

After staying nearly a week in Mackay we headed further north to Ayr to get warm.  The tropics are not always warm in the dead of winter.

The bridge is part of the Highway.
The Burdekin Bridge spans the Burdekin River between the towns of Ayr and Home Hill, Queensland, Australia. Located on the Bruce Highway which is part of Highway 1, it is an important link in the national road network.

Originally, it was thought that the bridge could not be built in its present location. No trace of rock could be found on which to build the bridge foundations. In 1946, two high-ranking Government engineers visited India to inspect a number of bridges built on sand foundations. The same technique was used for the Burdekin Bridge and it is the only bridge in  The bridge rests on 11 huge, hollow, concrete caissons sunk into the river bed. The caissons are 17 metres across the top (measured parallel to the stream) and vary in width from 5.5 to 7.6 metres. The caissons were sunk into the river bed to a depth of about 30 metres. Add to that the approximately 20 metres that the caissons rise above the bed and the end result is some very massive pieces of concrete. Each weighs about 4,000 tons. The caissons were fitted with steel "cutting edges" to help them sink. The steel used in the cutting edges weighed 238 tons.
Wikipedia

Where we were parked in the Caravan Park at Ayr, Queensland.

It's hard to believe that we travelled a long way to get warm in winter last year.

Everywhere was cold expect at Ayr, but on the way home it was warm in most places.

A few days in Mackay, Queensland

We moved further norther on the east coast of Australia to Mackay, a lovely city.
The caravan park is one we usually stay in and there were people there from the year before that we caught up with.

The lady drinking tea or coffee, well she's in her dressing gown, her husband took off to do some shopping in their motor home and left her there.  It did look rather strange so I took the opportunity to take a photo.
Then a sunset at the caravan park.

The marina at Mackay, Queensland.

Up on a hill, the lookout over the sea and beach.  People come here to see if any whales can be spotted making their journey north.

Flower in Winter.

The flowers below were taken around the caravan park in Rockhampton, Queensland.
Always look forward to looking at these plants as we don't have them at home here.

One of the bathrooms at the caravan park.

Vintage Cars.

When at Emu Park in Queensland we came across some vintage cars - all were parked along the street as the owners were in having a meal. 

Emu Park, Queensland.

Emu Park near Yeppoon is noted for it's beaches and is a mid coastal town in Queensland.  There is also the singing ship which actually makes sounds. The view from the platform is rather pleasant looking out onto the islands which I'm told great places to spend a holiday.

Rockhampton, Queensland

After Biloela we headed for Rockhampton to the Caravan Park we usually stay at.

Rockhampton is a city with approximately 78,600 people living in it.  These days it's an agriculture and industrial centre plus a tourist destination.

The road to Mount Morgan, Queensland.

The above photo was taken from the vehicle as we drove around the round a bout, it's a large bull.

These flowers were at one of the stores in Rockhampton, Queensland.

A building at Mount Morgan, Queensland.

A few hotels at Mt. Morgan, Queensland

Love the wrought iron on the building below.  Above give some idea of a house in Rockhampton.

The train line and an old building in Rockhampton, Queensland.