On Tuesday morning, I packed up and headed for Yeppoon.

I stopped for coffee in Calen

Now, I made a verryyyy vague plan – get to Yeppoon. 500kms? Yeah easy I’ll get it done.

Didn’t think about all the stops in between hehe.

My first stop was Seaforth – a place I’ve been wanting to go for ages but it always seemed too far for a 3 day weekend.

I was cruising along and saw the sign, so I turned down this gravel road which went for 12kms and got a chip in my windscreen no less.

Then came to a T section connecting the gravel road to the bitumen road. Note to self – don’t turn at the first turn off (or do some research/check maps).

I’ve come to expect these coastal towns to be pretty similar, but Seaforth was beautiful. I was really really impressed.

I pulled up at the waterpark and cooked up my leftovers – cauliflower, chikn schnitty and avo. I cooked it up with Truffle infused oil and garlic.

Cooking and travelling are my two passions and now I get to cook amazing meals while travelling? Woah.

The food is spectacular, but it’s more about the process of cooking.

Same could be said for travel. The destination is amazing, but I really enjoy the driving/singing/commentary.

Next stop wassssss Cape Hillsborough!

I always thought I would stay here the night and wake up to see the kangaroos at sunrise, but c’est la vie.

This is a great spot for a stopover or some lunch. There’s a caravan park at the end of the way with beachfront sites as well I think.

The beach was empty to my surprise.

Back on the road, headed for Mackay. I still thought I might be able to make Yeppoon or stop at Carmila even, but I resigned myself to Mackay.

I’ve never given much thought to Mackay, but when I headed in off the highway, I got that new town buzz. I was running low on fuel and managed to push it.. I think I was down to 15km expectancy when I hit the fuel stop.

I headed straight for the northern beaches (of course) to orient myself and figure out the next step _{^{rather than getting caught in rush hour traffic}}. It gave me Cairns northern beaches vibes.

I talked to my friend on the phone and had a snack. Walked along the beach and grounded myself. It was nice to be in a ‘regular’ town after Airlie and the touristy places.

I drove down to the Harbour. Forget Sydney Harbour, I want MACKAY HARBOUR. I went to a park and swing(ed?) on the swings.

The guy at the caravan park was really pleased to tell me there’s an Aldi “2 doors up”. But it was not 2 doors up it was more of a 3 minute drive. I mean, technically there weren’t any buildings in between but there was a wakepark.

I’ve made the executive decision to not unpack everything until I park somewhere for a few days (the table is so annoying to get down).

The car is still super comfy when everything is inside. It was really windy so I ended up putting the awning away because I did not want to have to deal with that.

I spent the evening laying under the stars and journalling – my favorite activity.

Good morning Mackay!

I cooked up chickpea scramble for breakfast and headed off to the markets.

The farmers market was cute but small. I bought some water kefir from a lady with beautiful dreads (some were wrapped blue [goals]). Sometimes I think I could get my head dreaded, but ya girl needs variety.

Mackay gave me big Launceston vibes and the art deco!! It’s soOoOoO kitsch I love it. My car matches it.

Next stop, Sarina.

Listening to: The Imperfects & Date Yourself Instead Podcast

Reading: The Road Less Travelled and Love & Virtue