Hence tonight’s stop is all about convenience. The WikiCamps app on our iPad suggests a council campground at St Lawrence. It’s free, there are toilets and showers — if you can afford a dollar, even warm ones.
But first we visit the Capricorn Caves close to Rockhampton. Some kilometres before we have crossed the tropic of Capricorn. We are now "officially" in the Tropics.
The St Lawrence campground turns out to be a former cattle muster station. We set up our tent close to paddocks and timber fences. Most of the other campers are “grey nomads”, retirees who spend many months each year travelling. Which is reflected by their camper vans and caravans. Many of the are actually custom-built buses, which tow a conventional vehicle behind them. There are definitely some townhouses in Sydney’s Inner West that feature less space than these houses on wheels. Of course television is a must, hence you can hear the sound of generators till after the 8 o’clock news broadcast.
The good thing about sharing the campsite with grey nomads is that they have got heaps of tips to share. Since only the first few weeks of our trip have been planned in detail, this provides us some valuable information about potential next stops along our way.
After a good night’s sleep we wander around a bit and discover a peaceful bird sanctuary. St Lawrence turns out to offer more than meets the eye at first glance.
[St Lawrence Recreational Reserve, 25.-26. July]
