We packed up, said our goodbyes and started on the trip to Hervey Bay. 

We stopped by the Big Pineapple for the obligatory photos. Interestingly, it was planned to be demolished as the plantation tour and souvenir shop wasn’t cutting it financially. As a result of public outcry, it was sold instead and the new owners are trying to resurrect it as an icon by refurbishing the pineapple and using the attached building for a Saturday Market. Good luck to them. The Sunshine Coast just wouldn’t be the same without the Big Pineapple and it is high on the list of “BIG” things that are placed all over Australia that tourists travel far and wide to come and see.

I forgot to make a flask for coffee this morning so when I saw the “Golden Arches” (AKA McDonalds) I suggested that we stop. Caleb found the toilet then the playground while we ordered coffees. Ray ordered and reached for his wallet and when he opened it I saw him pull out his National Seniors Card. He asked if we could get a discount on the coffees and the girl said for both of us to get a discount there had to be 2 cards, one each. She looked at me and I said mine was in my purse but I didn’t want to get it out. Her supervisor popped over and said both cards really had to be sighted to get the discount. I was stuck between admitting that I had a Seniors Card and giving up a discount. If you know me at all, you will know what I did. I whipped that card out of my purse and back in again so fast that the girl must have been relieved she had good eye sight! When we checked out the docket, we were so amazed at the discount we got. Seniors cards rock! (I think I am just a little miffed that the idea that I actually qualified for the card didn’t shock the pants off those young guns in Maccas. Do I really look 50+ or did they just put me in that. ” old person” category that young people do?) We got in the car and I thought about it- a lot. 

Further along hunger set in so we stopped at Maryborough, about 43km from our destination. This area was devastated by flooding in January and we saw many lovely old Queenslanders (houses) with mud lines well up to their windows. Ray opened up the meter box on a nearby power pole (used for camping) and found mud sitting in the bottom of it and on top of the switches. Incredible. 
Caleb seemed to have a renewed interest in completing his schoolwork with a great attitude and apart from more work with the lollies as teaching aides we soon realised the reason. 

As it is the low season, we have been able to secure 7 nights in a 4.5 star tourist park in Hervey Bay. This means that Caleb has 2 pools, spa, tennis court, playground, jumping pillow, TV and recreation room and wide open spaces to ride his bike. As for us, we get a concrete pad beside the van, invaluable for tables and chairs that don’t rock all over the place, lush green grass, clean and modern amenities and a few blessed minutes of peace and quiet while the kid is busy. Ahhh…
He knows he can’t play until his lessons are done so they were done before lunchtime.

When we pulled up in the park, he nearly hit the ground running and within 20 minutes he had found 2 other kids to play tennis with. They were riding their bikes past our van and Caleb literally poked his head out the door and yelled, ” Hey kids, do you want to come and play tennis with me?” He waved the tennis racquets at them and they skidded to a halt. As he left, we told him just to be sure to come back before it got dark. Absolute bliss. I’m going to vote that we stay 2 weeks here! 

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