15 June 2014

So last night it managed to rain most of the night though had dropped down in the morning to few scattered showers here and there. I was awake at 5 and so was underway by 7, I didn't want to go too early and wake everyone in the park up. First up was heading to Bowen, I have been there before, once about 12-13 years ago and I recall thinking that there was nothing happening there and it was just as well the highway passed it by. So this time I was wondering if I should bother going in or just keep on heading passed for Ayr. Well the upshot is that I was glad that in went in after all, they seem to have cleaned it up and have been spending money to make the place look good and welcoming. It still seems a sleepy Queensland town, though to be fair it was early Sunday morning, so I guess it would be a bit sleepy. I was actually quite surprised that there was even a cafe open for breakfast, and it seemed to be doing quite a good trade as well, very unusual for a Sunday in a country town, well so far from experience.

 It's actually supposed to be "The Big Mango". I guess it is Bowen after all.

 Welcome to Bowen

 The main street is divided for the whole length

The main street

More main street

and again

One of the murals

Court House

 About the harbour, hard to read due to being on glass

The beach at the end of the main street

The it was off to Ayr on the way through to get to Charters Towers. Ayr is a nice little place though I am not too certain that I love the heavy iron work on the main street providing shade to pedestrians and parked vehicles, I am sure it is a good attempt to look after the local public from the harsh sun in summer, but really try as they have, it isn't an attractive look to what would otherwise be a good street-scape.

Notice the iron work and the almost obligatory ugly 70's bank building

Ever onwards it is then, following the pink road from Ayr and then turn onto another pink road, the Woodstock-Giru Road, what and awesome road, in such great condition and hardly used at all, well not when I was on it anyway. It saves you going all the way to Townsville and then turning onto the Flinders Highway as it comes out part way along the Flinders at, well Woodstock obviously.

 See seriously the road is pink

Ok now currently at Charters Towers and it is a typical small Queensland country town, read that as "everything is closed up tight on a Sunday afternoon", including the supermarkets, oh the pubs are open though if your into that. So not a great deal to do but walk around the streets, which is great to get pictures of the streets and building with very few cars about, except of course in front of the building that you'd want to photograph. The tourist office was open all day though and so that was something, able to book a couple of tours and line up the "Ghosts of Gold" show up on the Towers hill last night. It was an interesting presentation, lots of information about the town, could probably do with a little bit of an update, interesting though.

 Main street

Main street, look at the building next to the ugly ANZ, see banks used to be able to have great looking buildings, what happened, after all they all make bigger profits now than they did then.

The town from Towers Hill lookout