A Travelling Sprout

A Sprout Settles in for a Few Days in Hervey Bay

By Shelley Banks

For many people, Hervey Bay is just a gateway to get to K’gari Fraser Island. But there is plenty to do in this beachside town of around 58,000 people, 290 kilometres north of Brisbane.

After checking into our accommodation, right across the road from Torquay Beach, we decided to take a walk, not only to see some of the sights but to stretch our legs after sitting in the car for almost three and a half hours.

Strolling along the Esplanade, the sun glistening on the ocean, taking in the view, was just the thing to get over the time spent on the highway. Unfortunately, the temperatures were too cool for a swim, which was a shame because the water looked incredibly inviting.

On the way back to our hotel, we discovered a restaurant right on the beach, with bean bags on the sand in front of the dining area. Deciding it would be a good place to have a cocktail while watching the sunset, and after perusing the menu, also a good place for dinner, we made a booking.

When we came back later, we discovered that dogs were welcome and that’s what the area on the sand with the beanbags was for. If we’d had our dog with us, he would have loved that. But he was almost 300 kilometres to the south. So instead of joining the people who’d brought their puppies with them, we sat in the dining area, watching as the sky turned pink, then black, enjoying a delicious meal as day turned to night.

The following morning, we headed down to Urangan to walk along its famous pier. Built in 1913 it stretches out almost one kilometre into the ocean. It was originally constructed to transport cargo from trains to the ships that would be waiting at the end of the pier.

The pier has been completely restored over the years, but we did see pictures of the original structure. And if you’re happy to stroll along to the end, you’ll be rewarded with spectacular views of Hervey Bay in one direction and an abundance of sea life in the other.

Being a Saturday, we were there at the same time the Pier Markets were on. Featuring stalls selling craft and clothing, there are also many stalls selling fresh produce including fruit and vegetables, honey and small goods, some of which we made purchases from to eat during our stay.

In the park, where the markets are located, a bandstand takes pride of place in the centre and as we wandered through the stalls, we had live music to serenade us.

After we finished meandering with the other tourists and locals, we took advantage of the seating around the bandstand and continued to listen to the music.

Hervey Bay has 13 kilometres of beachfront, with several great beaches to explore, all of them featuring calm water, thanks to the protection of K’gari Fraser Island. So, following the markets, we decided to take a couple of them in.

After Urangan, the first stop was Torquay, which is the largest of the precincts in Hervey Bay, and the busiest. It’s where you’ll find lots of cafes, restaurants, shops and unexpectedly, a tiny cocktail bar that you’d miss if you weren’t standing directly in front of the narrow door. We, however, found it and enjoyed the house specialty while chatting with the bartenders, both originally from Melbourne.

Wanting to enjoy the beautiful weather outside, we left the cosy confines of the cocktail bar and continued our walk, on to Scarness.

With a tranquil beach, it’s a popular spot for visitors, some of which were splashing around in the water as we walked by. Tourists from down south we decided. The water temperature was too cold for Queenslanders.

The highlight of the walk, along with the beautiful scenery, was the dolphins and dugongs we spotted along the way.

The following morning, we ambled along the Esplanade, in the opposite direction towards Pialba. If you’re a caravanner or camper, Pialba is the place to be and if you have children in tow, there’s a free water park.

Whichever way you head along the Esplanade, it’s mostly flat and has many sections that are shaded by trees. It’s a beautiful walk with parks on one side and the ocean on the other.

Exploring the area to the north of us wasn’t the original plan, instead was a last-minute change.

One of the biggest attractions in Hervey Bay is whale watching, something we were keen to do, however, the ocean wasn’t as calm as I’d liked on the day we’d planned to go and I wasn’t keen to spend several hours hanging over the side of a boat, trying (probably unsuccessfully) to keep my breakfast down.

We didn’t venture over to K’gari Fraser either, having visited the World Heritage-listed sand island on more than one occasion, once in spring, like this trip and once in autumn for the Easter long weekend. Besides, our stop in Hervey Bay was part of a longer road trip and a couple of days by the ocean, beachside walks and easily accessible cafes and restaurants was exactly what we wanted before getting back in the car and hitting the highway north.

Musings

Lunch v Drinks
By Shelley Banks

Not that long ago, on a Sunday I attended a get-together with a group of women. On the same day, my husband attended a get-together with a group of men.

Both functions went for the same amount of time and had the same number of attendees. But while the one I attended was a dignified, sit-down lunch, his was a piss-up in a pub.

The lunch, in an open-air bistro, complete with soft music in the background, had been booked by one of the women in the group and her plans had included a relaxing, pleasant atmosphere where we could hear each other speak, along with good food and good service.

Meanwhile, at the pub, the organiser of that get-together only had one thought – buy as many drinks as possible for the guy the get-together was in honour of.

It would never have occurred to any of us in the group I was with to organise an event like the one the boys were having. The thought of spending a few hours propping up a bar, keeping the bartender on his toes with all the orders is not something that appeals.

And it wouldn’t have occurred to any of the boys to organise a fancy sit-down lunch. I can’t imagine they would have been content sitting around a beautifully decorated table, which featured flowers and chocolates, eating middle Eastern-inspired salads.

But at the end of both functions, all participants agreed they’d had a wonderful time. And I know which group had a better Monday morning.

Short Stories

The Autumn of Life
By Shelley Banks

As Maisie stared out the window at the autumn leaves, she couldn’t help but see the correlation. She too was in autumn, with, hopefully, many years to come. But there were many more behind, which the mirror told her every time she looked at her reflection.

She was content though. Looking back, she could honestly say that she’d lived a full life, achieving all that she’d wanted to.  She’d travelled the world, met the rich and famous, and had amazing adventures. Just yesterday she was telling the story of how she’d met the king of an exotic realm.

‘I had to travel for two days over land,’ she’d begun, her audience listening intently. ‘It was the only way to get there, on a horse no less, through jungles full of wild animals.’

Her audience listened intently.

‘When I finally arrived, I was welcomed in a special ceremony and given a royal title. I stayed for a week and was treated like I was one of the princesses.’

Maisie paused before continuing.

‘Then there was the time I climbed Mt Everest. I’ve never been so cold in my life. And it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But it was worth it to be on top of the world. The guide I had with me was one of the best and we kept in contact. In fact, many years later, I stayed with him and his family while I was taking a break from my research.’

‘I didn’t know you did research,’ one of the audience commented. ‘What sort of research did you do?’

‘Medical,’ Maisie replied. ‘I worked on a lot of cures over the years.’

‘What an amazing life you’ve had,’ came the response.

Maisie beamed. ‘Yes, I have. I’ll tell you some more about it another day. I don’t want to hog the limelight.’

As the audience dissipated, they too had smiles on their faces. Maisie’s stories were always entertaining.

The following day, she told of the time she’d sailed around the world, solo, just her and her yacht. She had sailed through both calm seas and towering waves, bright sunlight and stormy skies, just herself against the elements. She described the islands she’d visited during her journey and the people she’d met. Then she described the welcome she got when she arrived home.

‘There was a parade you know,’ she reminisced, joy lighting up her face.

‘Come on Maisie,’ a voice beside her said, pulling her away from the ocean and back to the room where she was, the chair in the corner she was sitting in. ‘It’s time for lunch.’

As the nurse helped her up from the chair, Maisie said goodbye to her audience, promising more stories later in the day.

‘They’re coming to lunch too Maisie, so you can continue your stories if you want to,’ the nurse said.

Maisie’s stories had kept the other residents amused ever since she’d moved into the care home. None of them were true of course, but all were a product of Maisie’s career.

For many years, she’d been a script writer for Hollywood movies, until she’d needed to give it up because her mind began to change. There had been exotic realms, and Mt Everest climbs and ocean voyages, but they’d all been on the silver screen, big-name stars bringing what Maisie had written to life. She should have had many more years of storytelling, but her life was not a movie, and she couldn’t change the pre-destined script.

But at least she was bringing joy every day to the people who were around her whose lives had also not followed the script they thought they would.

Something Light

Summer was on a Tuesday
By Shelley Banks

I’m sure I say this every year, but the summer we’ve just had seemed hotter and more humid than previous years. Our air conditioning got a workout over the summer months. It was the only way to deal with the temperatures.

During those months, I had some friends travelling to the northern hemisphere where the weather consisted of grey skies, snow that turned to sludge, shorter daylight hours and temperatures that didn’t get above 10 degrees Celsius. As much as they enjoyed the experiences in countries not previously visited, none of them were keen on the weather.

It reminded me of an experience I had in the northern hemisphere a few years ago, although it was autumn not winter, and the temperatures did get above 10 degrees, but not above 18 degrees.

The first thing I noticed was that I was the only one wearing a jumper, something the customs officer at Dublin Airport commented on as he was stamping my passport.

When I said I was used to the heat rather than the cold, he said I would find Irish weather very different. When I asked how different, he replied that summer had been on a Tuesday that year.

I assumed he was joking but when I reflected on it later, I don’t think he was.

Everywhere I went, the locals were in short sleeves while I was wearing layers.

A lot of people stared at me in my jumpers and jeans, but I didn’t care. Turns out, I prefer whinging about the heat, rather than the cold.

Books

If you like my short stories I’ve published ten books.