6 August - Rockhampton Qld

After a cool night it is another perfect day here in Rockhampton. We decided today to take a drive to Yeppoon a nearby beach resort but just after breakfast I happened to glance at the rear tyres on the Pajero to discover they were almost completely bald. The front ones look OK. This was quite a surprise because I don't think they've done 25,000km. I'll have to check the exact details when I get home but in any case these tyres are the worst wearing tyres I've ever bought. So the morning was spent sourcing new tyres this morning and Bob Jane came to the rescue. By noon we were back on the road and headed off to Yeppoon. We were last here in 2007 and then it seemed like a bit of a backwater to us - everything looked a bit shabby and worn out.  Things have changed in 8 years and we were pleasantly surprised at the amount of quality development that has occurred. Yeppoon is located on Keppel Bay and the Keppel islands are just across the water - altogether a beautiful setting.

We then drove along the coast through a number of little coastal towns with great views of the ocean.

At Emu Park we visited the Singing Ship. This is a large ship like sculpture which as air vents located in the rock below. When there is a wind, and wave action below pushes air into the vents the Singing Ship starts to 'sing'. It contains a number of pipes tuned to different notes and the overall effect is to produce wonderful harmonies. 

Only light winds today but we could still hear it. Would love to come back during a storm. We've decided to stay in Rockhampton for another day which means we'll move to Hervey Bay on Saturday - we're reluctant to leave this beautiful weather.