Days 295-298 – Hervey Bay, Qld (5-8 July) – Week 44 (month 11)

Not to much to report the last few days – getting ready to leave tomorrow (Friday) heading north to Bundaberg (at this stage).  We visited with Rod and Lynn a couple we spent Xmas with in Streaky Bay who are staying in the caravan park about 40kms away at Burrum River.  It was lovely to catch up with them and we had a nice lunch.  Hopefully we’ll see them again when they head west – Lynn is keen to do the Margaret River wineries again.  The weather has been really miserable, wet and cold.  The coldest day today at 17 degrees!  Seems like all of Australia is having an unseasonally cold and wet winter.  Thought global warming meant warmer weather – more like the ice age.  At least heading to north NT will be warm.  As it was our last night we went into town and had a Balti curry – very very nice.  Balti cooking originated from northwest Pakistan and is a style of cooking curries that uses very aromatic spices but not overly spiced with chillies so not as hot as normal curries but very spicy.  The first Balti restaurant opened in Birmingham UK and took off enormously with lots of Balti restaurants now in the UK.  The chef at the curry house we went to was trained in Birmingham by a Pakistani chef and opened about 12 months ago in Hervey Bay.  They also had UK style curries which are much hotter than what we are used to here and we had been warned so went with the milder choices.  I had a biryani curry which is rice based and John had a Malay curry which as mild and he said it was hot.  We really enjoyed our curries.  Must say we have not eaten out as much as we did in Hervey Bay – more opportunity and choice.  Steve the house owner got home about mid afternoon and we had a chat with him in the evening.  He has telling me about the cane toads and how in the wet season he has had upto 10 of them sitting at the back door trying to get in, they sit in the dog bowls (even though they are empty) looking for food and putting the washing out on the line at night time he says can be a challenge and he says they are big!  Well if I wasn’t put of Qld already now I really am!  Apparently from Hervey Bay north we hit cane toad country big time all the sugar cane plantations I expect.  Not looking forward to that, think we will be using the port loo in the van for any night time visits.