Here’s the trouble with winging a road-trip during the holiday season: sometimes the best places are booked out and you have to come back later to finish what you have started. This is what happened to us when we made a detour from Bargara to visit The Town of 1770. As I am feeling nostalgic writing these words, this post could have been titled: Take me back to 1770.
Day 4: BARGARA TO ROCKHAMPTON (385 km)
THE TOWN OF 1770
1770 is remotely located in the Gladstone Region, on a peninsula, at the point where the Round Hill Creek flows into the Coral Sea. Its main attraction is a picturesque beach with clear water, sheltered by sandbars: an ideal spot for kayaking and stand-up-paddle boarding on the Southern Great Barrier.
The Town of 1770, or Seventeen Seventy, is considered by some as the Birthplace of Queensland; being the second place where Captain Cook landed on the Australian main land during his Australian exploration, on the 24th of May 1770. This statement is obviously biased and historically inaccurate because Queensland was created by someone drawing a line across a map.
Somehow, the Town of 1770 has survived through centuries relatively untouched. Looking at the bay, I could see why Captain Cook chose this place as his anchor. In hindsight, I have realised that I did not take as many pictures as I would have liked: I was too busy having a swim.
The Town of 1770 does not have a lot of accommodation compared to the demand. It was booked out when we visited and some of the accommodation required a minimum stay of 1 week. Therefore, we were forced to put all our energy into reaching Rockhampton within the same day, which was faster than we would have liked.
It felt rushed and still to this day, I feel like I have unfinished business with 1770 and its neighbouring Eurimbula National Park. I would definitely recommend this destination to anyone who can appreciate a simple, laid-back atmosphere with a tropical charm.
STRAIGHT TO ROCKHAMPTON VIA GLADSTONE
Let’s be honest here: Gladstone had the same gloomy feel as Bundaberg in my opinion. You can easily tell that the city’s economy revolves around the mining-related industries.
There was not a lot of sightseeing to do in Gladstone so we headed straight to Rockhampton, arriving right on time to catch a beautiful sunset from our hotel room.
Our road-trip adventure was not completely over: the best was yet to come….
[To be continued]
ALL OVER THE PLACE 