I promised Maddie a beach walk so we set off in the morning to see what we could find. It is a short walk through the mangroves onto the long beach. The tide was way out again and we enjoyed exploring. Maddie found a coconut and we wondered where that might have come from. A Pacific island perhaps?

We found strange mounds of squiggly sand all over the beach and a couple of jelly fish. Rocks with barnacles and different types of seaweed were other finds as well as a collection of shells.

On the way back to camp we spotted bush turkeys and funny black & white ducks that I later found out are called Burdekin Ducks. They look like they are dressed up for a night out and make the funniest noises at each other. I’m not sure if they are wooing or arguing!

Katie had a school work day while Pa and I took the kids to the Sarina Sugar Shed for a tour. We packed our lunch, water bottles, the kids scooters & helmets and set off in the Prado.

Our first stop was at Sarina Beach to check it out.

Next stop was the Sugar Shed. It is situated in Sarina’s Field of Dreams Parklands. The parklands also house an Art Gallery, Art & Craft Centre, the Tourist Centre, a museum and the Sarina Sugar Shed. The Sugar Shed is a miniature sugar mill and distillery.

The parklands have parking, a dump point, BBQ’s, picnic tables, a playground and lovely grass areas. We found a spot to park and walked along the concrete pathways following signs to the Sugar Shed. We’d booked a 12.30 tour and they last for an hour.

After checking in we had a short wait for a guide. She handed out name tags for us all to wear. People all had different names. Mine was Derek!

Outside the mill our guide explained how sugar cane is grown and how it was once harvested compared to modern day machinery harvesting. She explained and pointed out the various parts of the huge sugar mill we could see behind the fence.

Here’s an interesting fact for you. When they plant sugar cane it is planted in 20cm long pieces flat along the ground. This is because sugar cane has eyes, sort of like a potato, and that is where the cane shoots from. Cane can be harvested after twelve months and then every 12 months for 7 years before it needs to be ploughed in and replanted.

Inside the miniature mill we were shown how the cane is first rolled to squeeze out the juice and then all the processes that follow until you end up with white sugar at the end. All the parts of the process had a name like the ones we were wearing. Derek was ‘Derek the Dryer’ one of the end processes where the sugar is dried.

Here’s another interesting fact for you. What we buy in the shop as Raw Sugar is just white sugar with molasses added to it. Brown sugar also is white sugar with molasses added.

The sugar cane process produces lots of by-products such as sugar cane mulch that people use on their gardens, molasses, and a product called dunder that is sold back to farmers to use as fertiliser.

At the end of the tour we were herded into the tasting room where we could taste a number of jams, relishes and sauces, a range of liquors and the kids watched our guide make them fairy floss.

It was a very informative tour and the kids seemed engrossed in the telling of the sugar story.

We’d also ordered a platter to finish off our tour and it was packed in a takeaway container for us. We found a picnic table near the playground and sat down there to enjoy our platter and our packed lunch.

During lunch we decided to head north and check out Mackay. As we drove out of Sarina we spied another big thing, The Big Cane Toad sitting on his pedestal in the middle park.

We drove northwards to Mackay, through town, over the bridge and out to the marina. As usual with marinas there was millions of dollars worth of boats bobbing on their moorings. You can drive all the way to the end of the breakwater and the views are pretty special. I read on the way back that crocs have been sighted in the waters of the marina so, it might look pretty but do not go in the water!!

Ben and Maddie were ready to burn off some energy so we googled the nearest skate park and found one at Slade Point so we drove out there and they had a good time skating.

After the kids had burnt off some of that boundless energy we got back in the car and drove back across the Pioneer River and all the way back to Cape Palmerston Holiday Park via Serena. It was about 5pm when we got back to find Katie had a very productive school work day and was ready for a break.

We had another little fire and Rich invited our neighbours to join us. They were from Mackay and were camped in a brand new Jaypod. It was their first time camping and they were enjoying the experience.

My turn to cook and we ate lasagne, salad and garlic bread. Scrumptious!