Bundaberg ,Childers and Biggenden Qld

Before leaving Rockhampton, we drove out to Mt Archer Lookout.  What a great view over Rockhampton and we had a chat to one of the locals who told us about some of the trees, one of which was a Bloodwood tree, and I actually could see the "blood" seeping out.

 Corymbia opaca, also known as the desert bloodwood, is a tree native to Australia. The tree is most well known for the distinctive red kino that it exudes..

After a great couple of days in Rockhampton we left our friends and headed towards Gladstone.

Tannum Sands

Our next stop was Gladstone, but there were roadworks and traffic queues which slowed us down, so we decided to follow a sign post to Tannum Sands.  It was a pretty little bay so we stopped and had lunch there and enjoyed the views and the lovely foreshore park.

Tannum Sands, Gladstone

 From Tannum Sands we got back onto the highway and decided to stop at the Granite Creek Rest Area as it was around 3.30 pm and the rest area was not too crowded.

Granite Creek Rest Area

After leaving the Granite Creek rest area we headed to Bundaberg, passing through Gin Gin.  We arrived in Bundaberg and found our way to the Bundaberg Distillery.  We didn't do the tour of the distillery but had a good visit of the shop and bought some souvenirs.  We do like Bundaberg Rum but think it is a better price at our local liquor store and it is always difficult to bring breakables home in the caravan even when packed well.

.

 After our stop in Bundaberg we headed off again and stopped in Childers.  We have been to Childers before and this time our main reason was for Ice Cream as I think they have the best I have ever had, and I do eat a reasonable amount of it.

The shop we were at on our previous trip had moved,  but we found it a short distance away and was now part of the old picture theatre, The Paragon.  After talking to the owner he showed us through the historic theatre which he and his family are restoring.

Lovely old buildings in Childers

.

The new ice cream shop in Childers

The Paragon Theatre is a large timber building with a masonry façade prominently located on Churchill Street in Childers. The rear section of the building is a large shed-like form clad in unpainted timber weatherboards with a pitched, galvanised iron roof. The side walls have high level louvred openings under the eaves and timber framed windows in the lower section of the wall. The parapeted façade is composed of face brick pilasters which divide the surface into three bays rendered with roughcast stucco. The parapet edge features a rectangular signage block flanked by a masonry balustrade. Three sets of timber casement windows are located in the upper sections of each of the bays. The glass of the windows has been painted and each set of windows is surmounted by horizontal awnings with small hipped roofs and supported by timber brackets.

The historic Paragon Theatre

As of October 2011, Ms Ricciardi and new co-owner Nigel Craft have continued the restoration of the building with the hopes to eventually reopen it to the public as an entertainment venue. The business name Paragon Theatre (1962) is still registered

Photo from 2016 - Macadamia and Ginger ice-cream

Ice Cream for two!

 Our next stop was Biggenden which is a very small town so we stopped there to look around and found a sign that invited caravanners and RV's to stay in their free camping area beside the railway, so we stopped there for the night and it was a nice grassed area behind a community style garden near the main street - perfect.

Next morning we left our free camp site but noticed a lot of old  cars crossing the bridge so followed them and found they were going to a Show n Shine, so we stopped and enjoyed a walk around the cars, all for a small entry fee which apparently went to the local community.

 

 .