Sea Goat Lives in Natural Voids in the Ground

This is our attempt at a cryptic crossword clue for where we visit today, as a diversion to our journey north on the A1. Yes, not exactly The Times standard, but probably Southend Evening Echo. The place in question is near Rockhampton and we enjoy a couple of hours on a guided tour enjoying the geographical features of our venue, that was accidently discovered in 1881 by a Norwegian, John Olsen. The tour took us to the Cathedral and it certainly was an accoustic delight (Deep City would have loved it!). Then we heard what sounded like running water, but it was the sound of hundreds of bats that echoed through the tunnels. Finally, we had to squeeze our way out, through the tiniest of gaps. It was a nice visit and the guide was very knowledgeable. On this same tour is a family from the Netherlands, who were also on our trip to Fraser Island (in fact the Dad and the 3 childern shared our little flight that day). We swapped notes and they are also great tourists, having been to many of the places in the world we have and to others where we are due to go, such as New Zealand. So, we got some great advice on places to see (and avoid) when in the land of the Kiwi, although what they suggested did actually fit into much of what we wanted to do anyway. We bid them farewell, although they are also heading northward, so it would not surprise us if we see them again on our travels (as Australia is such a small country!!). For lunch we go to Yeppoon and have a nice meal at Vue Wine Bar. The town has a great shoreline, with a lovely beach and an interesting promenade. A lot of the buildings are new, as this place was wrecked in 2015 by a cyclone, but the planners have done a good job as the result is a pretty coastal town. There is even a public infinity pool that is free!

We get back onto the A1 and the scenery is really different as we head north; the terrain is pretty flat, apart from some rather odd looking hills, and the scenery justs appears more barren. It is a lengthy journey and pretty dull. But we head for our next stop, that is at Cape Palmerston Holiday Park, that is situated next to the national park and right on the beach. We arrive in the dark, but at the reception Ben gets on his bike and guides us to our spot. That's what we call service! We finish off the chilli leftovers from the previous day (still delicious) and retire early, as we want to get going to Airlie Beach as soon as possible and enjoy the increasingly warmer temperatures.

Crossword answer - Capricorn Caves