Heavenly Beverley : Hits And Misses

We are back on Simon's verandah, high above the glorious Burnett River. We arrived an hour or so ago. My quirky, eccentric and oh-so-generous brother made sure we were welcomed by a made bed and clean towels in our room for the next eight days. Dinner preparations are in the fridge. A soft and cooling breeze is lessening the tropical feel of a Queensland summer's afternoon.

The last forty-eight hours have been entertaining if a trifle disconcerting. We decided to stay over Sunday night in the Big Smoke as close to the airport as possible.We had a seven o'clock flight and the idea of rising at three o'clock in the morning to drive from Beverley was not attractive.

I thought I had hit the jackpot. Through Airbnb, I sourced a downstairs room in a Rivervale townhouse fifteen minutes from the airport. Great location, good reviews and very reasonable price. Ever heard of "too good to be true"?

We arrived at the designated time. The first issue was the number of the unit where we were staying. After a couple of fruitless phone calls, our hostess emerged from the front door of another unit. An Asian lady, her first words to me were something like she was a very clean person. How odd.

We were ushered into a very small entry. Which smelt. Then we were taken upstairs. Unexpected. The room was smallish but seemed to be fine. Until I looked further. Used tissues and a dirty glass had been left on the desk in the room. The carpet was not clean. One of the bedside tables had hairs on it.

The bathroom and toilet were worse. And there was no toilet paper in the loo. Our hosts used a glass to hold their toothpaste. We were greeted by the sight of their toothpaste tubes resembling volcanoes. The mirror was filthy and the basin was grey and grubby.

We fled out to dinner. We tried a Korean restaurant in East Victoria Park. Another disappointment. Some elements were fantastic and others fell flat. Oh well, we lived and learnt.

Back to the Airbnb. We retired to our room. Our hostess busied herself cleaning the bathroom and loo. Interesting. Their cats came into our room demanding attention, jumping on the bed and meowing at us. We didn't mind their antics, but others may not be so amenable.

We could not wait to leave in the morning. We arrived for our flight and endured the boring four-and-a-half hour trip to Brisbane. At least the cabin attendants were friendly and accommodating. And the glass of vino helped raise our spirits.

We took delivery of a silver Corolla from Thrifty Hire Cars. With a Canberra number plate. Horror. We coped with yet another surprise, promptly named the car Tonto and headed out of Brisbane. The traffic was heavy but moving. Amazingly, we reached our stopover just outside Gympie by five o'clock.

We can thoroughly recommend "Travellers' Rest", hosted by Neil and Susan. Their property is high and airy. There are two guest bedrooms. The en-suite and separate toilet are exquisite. They provide a continental breakfast, tea and coffee and lively conversation. Our only less than completely glowing comment was the slippery bathroom floor, which Susan mentioned and was easily solved by placing two bathmats down to walk on. The gardens were beautiful and the location was whisper quiet. We slept very well and our morning showers were the stuff of dreams.

Special mention of merit to our takeaway dinner. "Mamas and Papas" Pizza in Gympie was fast, tasty and great value for money. Forget Dominos and Pizza Hut. "Mamas and Papas" was the pizza place to visit on our overnight stop. An absolute gem.

We set out for Bundaberg at eleven o'clock after a very leisurely morning. Lunch in Childers at Kape Centro was outstanding - a chorizo-laden scrambled eggs for Michael and a potato rosti, avocado, salmon and sliced lemon for me. I bought a replacement mug for Michael at the Post Office gift shop to replace the one I broke before we left Perth.

A visit to the Palace Backpackers Memorial is always moving. Fifteen people died when a lunatic set fire to the building in 2000. Their names, stories and photographs form a haunting epilogue to their lives, reminding us all never to take the here-and-now for granted. The adjacent Gallery Giftshop tempted us with a small art piece of three emus mounted on corrugated iron.

We drove into Simon's property around four o'clock. The numbers of newly planted trees and shrubs told us of his endeavours to turn the reducing lawn areas into a bushy oasis. This has been a theme for Simon for many years. Create a jungle and eliminate lawn.

We have just finished dinner with Simon. The conversation has been spirited and enlightening. Each time I see my brothers, I learn more and more about our mutual past. As I age, I am actually finding out about our family.

Tomorrow is our first full day here in Bundaberg. As yet, we have no plans. Bliss.