Australia - May 8

Down in the dumps. After seven and a half weeks of great hotels, I have been brought down to earth. The room is clean enough, but it is small and noisy as the motel is alongside the main road. I don’t feel safe in here – it feels like the sort of place that might be broken into.

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The drive was supposed to take only a couple of hours, so I looked for somewhere to go on the way. I picked on Old Petrie. This is an old town, and it was closed. It was saved by having a fascinating local museum. One of the members of staff was so enthusiastic about someone visiting that I almost felt she was going to show me around personally (I was the only visitor). It had everything I like about a museum – a broad sweep of the history of the place, with glimpses into the lives of some of the people who made the town.

This same member of staff recommended that I visit another museum. As this was only 20km or so off my route, it made for a good destination for lunch. So back in the wagon and off to Bribie Island.

Bribie Island

After scoffing my burger and chips it was off to the museum. And just like Petrie, it was another excellent local museum. It told the history of Bribie Island, from its first mapping through the rise of the tourist trade. Again, there were glimpses into the people who made the island.

Back to the wagon to hit the M1 for the drive onto Gympie. The motorway was fairly quiet so the drive didn’t take long. When I got to the hotel, the receptionist had left so I had to phone to get my key. I did some laundry to fill the evening.

🚗 Distance driven : 227km. I have now driven exactly 4,700km (according to the car)

Thursday, May 8, 2025

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