Tues, 2nd Jan, 2024 Apex Park, Bundaberg to Zonhoven Park, Gayndah, Qld (exploring Mundubbera etc)

Good night sleep though the vehicles started in earnest about 5am. Few clouds about but mostly blue sky.

Our camp photo.

The ‘permanent’ campers line the edge of the road.

Headed back into town to the train station to enquire about dates for Terry to come up to Cairns to see his great grandchildren then dropped in and gave him the info so he can go in and book it. Will try for the 5^th of April for a week which is in the school holidays so best to book early. Said farewell again.

Had a cuppa then headed to Childers via the Isis Highway. Went through a couple of small rain cells. Everything is nice and green from all the recent rain. Turned off and headed to Biggenden then on to Ban Ban Springs for lunch. A heavy downpour hit while we had lunch inside the camper.

Rang the Mundubbera Hospital to check it was ok to visit Auntie Maree - Erica’s eldest sister. Headed north through Gayndah straight into a very heavy rain cell. Through Gayndah with its Big Orange. Steve’s cousin Dael is on the council here.

Over the Burnett River - it has a weir upstream. Flowing well after all the recent rain.

Continued on through little rain cells to Mundubbera which is the home of Terry and Erica’s families as they grew up. Terry lived in town and Erica lived on a farm out of town.

We drove up to the hospital just as the rain stopped. Had a short visit with Auntie Maree as her hearing and eyesight are bad but she appeared to understand who we were and we told her about Erica’s chair and Terry’s health then she zoned out so we left her rest. She looked just like Erica but with a heap of white hair. She misses her husband George. I share my birthday, 2^nd April, with her (95 next birthday) and her grandson Robert. My middle name is Maree too so I have always had a soft spot for Maree but it is sad to see her just curled up like that.

The hospital is on the top of a rise and Terry’s sister Barbara lived opposite as she was a nurse then Matron there for many years. Down Leichhardt Street to where Terry’s parents, Claude and Tish Geck, lived. The old timber house was set back on these double blocks. Terry’s brother was still living with them when they built this brick home.

Steve has many memories of visits here. Grandma used to give him a shopping list, money and her pull along trolley so he could go around the block to the shop and there was always some change so he could buy some lollies. Drove around the block to Bunce Street to Maree and George’s place which was behind the Geck house.

As we drove down the main street Steve thought he spotted his cousin Kym. Maree had said he had visited today. We waited at the intersection till he came up beside us and I called out to him so he pulled over and we chatted on the sidewalk for over half hour. The rain had been spitting but now the sun has come out and it is quite hot. Lots of old stories came out of his and Stephen’s younger days. Also caught up with what he has been up to over the recent years too.

We headed off to find the cemetery. Around the pump station which has a great mural. Steve’s grandfather, Claude, was responsible for the pump station when he worked for the Council in his latter years, Steve recalled.

Stopped at the park by the Burnett River first for a cuppa. Very high water level markers - would be scary to see it that high.

Checked out all the sculptures and info about the park. When I visited here with Daniel in 1990 I remember visited Erica’s oldest brother Gordon and seeing all the amazing fruit trees he had. There were different fruit trees grafted together so there were peaches, plums hanging off a mandarin tree - amazing. I was told Mundubbera was the citrus capital of the southern hemisphere.

Looking further upstream at the weir.

Steve remembers the old road and lower bridge which we found further along. Only two bits left of the bridge. Better photo of the weir.

We crossed the bridge, view further downstream.

Nice mural.

Found the cemetery and the locals - black cockatoos, who weren’t happy about us walking around.

Wandered through the graves and found Steve’s paternal grandparents graves. The paint needs a scrub. I have a photo of when Terry & Erica had painted it. Steve pulled out a few weeds from around it as it all needs a mow after the recent rains.

Then his maternal grandparents graves. They were in line rather than beside each other.

In the lawn section we found the whole section Kym had purchased for the Mobbs family. Only George is on it so far.

Steve’s paternal great grandfather Albert Geck is buried here too but his grave is unmarked. His wife Teresa died on the train heading to Brisbane so she is buried in Toowong Cemetery.

Back across the river - looking upstream again.

Past the pump station - the other side this time.

Around the fenced area of RG Mobbs - Steve’s cousin’s business. Headed back towards Gayndah - missed a photo of another nice mural which is on the road into another park off this main highway.

Nice views as we descended the Binjour Range.

We turned off to check out the weir on the Burnett River here in Gayndah. A few people were trying to catch dinner. The water is flowing over the weir from the recent rain.

Back across the bridge - view downstream. The river flows to Bundaberg and out so sea there.

Looking down on the footpath we spotted Steve’s cousin Dael with her husband Neil.

We drove through town past one of the hotels. I liked the little dome so took a photo.

Drove along to the 20hr rest area just past the big Mandarin - Zonhoven Park. Chose our spot and set up.

After reading the sign I looked up the info about its history. Gayndah was settled in 1849 and formerly gazetted as a town in 1852. There are old cities of course but as town this is their claim to fame as well as all the mandarins and other citrus grown here.

We can see the river below us. A chap wandered by and said the drum in the tree was from the 2013 flood and is left there as a reminder. He said it has risen a bit since the recent rains. It had been very low recently.

Zoomed in on the bridge further upstream.

I heard Steve talking to someone and it was Dael and Neil finishing off their walk. We chatted for the next 2 hours. 

Said bye and headed inside for dinner.

Malcolm rang to see where we were and our plans for when we get to Tassie. He said it was a lovely day there for a change, max of 22 - we will be needing to put the flannelette sheets back on!!

Rang Kaylene and Rick for a catch up too.

Played a couple of games of Skipbo - 2 to me! All quiet here, not much traffic.