Yesterday (monday) was a reluctant departure from Woodgate. It seemed as if the ride to get there had been enough - that Woodgate was in fact the major destination of the trip. But in the wind and the rain I set off for Yeppoon, the beachy attachment to Rockhampton, and there met up with Terry & Pam who had kindly offered me a night's accommodation.

It was good to see them. They live in a magical spot, high up in the hills a few Km from Yeppoon, looking at the town (and its lights, at night) and the ocean; and their house is one of the most beautiful I have been in - casual, contemporary, Queenslandy - just so comfortable and with that view!

And then this morning - as I was leaving - I was just manoeuvring the bike in their driveway - and I got into a drift of deep aggregate - and Bang! down she went, with me sprawling in the gravel. It happened so fast I scarcely knew what had happened. A bit of a scrape on the fairing and 2 sore knees is about the only damage, apart from my ego...

Then 425 km to Mackay. I was expecting a sleepy little banana town but it's nothing like that. Seems bigger than Rocky. Most motels are full (why?) but I found one and it's OK. The ride here went through miles and miles of scrubby cattle country and then right at the end near the sea it is all cane. Wall to wall cane because the sugar market is booming - about 2 years ago the government was paying cane farmers to not grow any, and now look what's happened! The lesson is that governments and farmer organisations are not much good at picking the best uses for taxpayers' money.

Tomorrow, on to Proserpine where my godson lives. I wonder if I will score a beer or 2?