OK, time for some backdated info on those earlier posts - here in Airlie Beach I have a faster internet connection. Must be because of the age of the population here, about 18 I would say is the average. It's a beautiful day here and I will go for a swim shortly but before I do - here is a link to some stuff about Childers: http://www.exploreaustralia.net.au/Queensland/Capricorn/Childers

And also, on the way from Woodgate to Yeppoon, I spent a very pleasant hour in the Bert Hinkler Hall of Aviation, st Bundaberg (of course!) - here is a link: http://hinklerhallofaviation.com/
There was some pretty good stuff in there. At the age of 17, Hinkler built and flew in a glider on a local beach; in 1986 a small piece of the glider, a fragment of timber the size of a school ruler, was sent up in the NASA Space Shuttle, as a tribute to Hinkler's legacy as an aviation pioneer. That space shuttle was the Challenger, which disintegrated after launch. About 15 tonnes of debris was recovered, including incredibly the little fragment of Hinkler's glider!!!! And here it is, in the Hinkler Hall of Aviation.

Yesterday, I left Yeppoon and arrived at Mackay in the afternoon. One thing about Mackay I did not mention in the earlier post was the World War 2 memorial - possibly the best one I have ever seen - the wording humble, beautiful and apt - says it all:

"To the men and women of Australia - those who died, those who fought and returned, those who supported, and those who worked to preserve Australia during those difficult times. We are eternally grateful."

So - this morning a latish departure from Mackay, and a short (90 minute) ride to Airlie Beach, the coastal town for Proserpine. This place is humming, full of young people. Tonight I will stay with Johnny and Jo, at Cannonvale just inland a couple of km from here.

And from here down to Mackay - Cane is King. Bigger and bigger plantations as you come north. The terrain for growing sugarcane is quite distinctive - old dissected volcanic cones (jaggedy sharp mountains) with their flat volcanic plains in the middle, which provides the necessary deep
soils - krasnozems I think they are called, along with easy tillage and plenty of rain although cane is sometimes irrigated strategically - if there is a dry period just when the new plants are becoming established. Today I saw cane being irrigated; cane being harvested; mature cane ready for harvest; and road trucks loaded with cane as well as the cane railways in action. Tomorrow maybe some pics!

Off to the pool now for a swim...