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The ride out of Hervey Bay was good but for a while we were under some pretty big black thunderous clouds.  Luckily we didn’t get rained on.  Everywhere we ride there are signs advising of the floodways.  In all the gully’s there’s a measuring stick 1-2 meters high so you can see the depth of water in the rainy season.  We are riding in the two months of winter which is settled and, coming from NZ seems warm-it’s been about 25 deg each day.  It can easily be 45 deg up here in the summer, and the rain in the rainy season is just something I can’t imagine.  All the houses are built on stilts.
We had to do a bit of riding on the A1 today.  We are trying to ride on any roads except this one but sometimes the alternative routes have road works.  Another lunch stop under a tree.  There are picnic spots everywhere, all covered for rain and sun protection and with nice clean toilets.
Neither of us have been to Gladstone before and I found it very interesting.  It’s a heavy industry city-much like the Northern cities of the UK but this city was really nice.
. This is Gladstone Harbour.  It’s got a large marina too.
Lots of historical buildings in town.
Gladstone is the 4th biggest coal export port in the world and also refines coal.  It has natural gas works and one of Rio Tinto’s biggest Alumina refineries.  It all sounds grim and you might think of a polluted grey city, but this was one of the nicest places we’ve been to so far.