In and Around Beautiful Rockhampton

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At present we're having a short break in Central Queensland.  I've got some work here - and I've brought Kristina along for some time in the sun and warmth.

I guess it's the best time of the year here, but it certainly is beautiful. Clear, clean and cool.  In the morning it gets into the teens, but during the day it's in the low 20s.  The other day we had our first day looking around and went for 2 long walks - one around suburban Rocky and the other along the beach at Emu Park.  Near the end of the second walk (and after about an hour and a half) Kristina asked me if I had seen a single bit of litter on either of our walks?  Neither of us could remember doing so.  A little later we saw a couple of cigarette butts, but it really only emphasised the point that we are clearly in a place where local people look after their beautiful environment.

At home we get irritated by the need to pick up beer cans / bottles and occasional other litter from our roadside - and the degree to which rubbish from Gisborne (4 km away) ends up getting blown down and caught in our fences.  I guess though, our willingness to clean it up is what people in the Rockhampton people must do on a very disciplined basis.

Kristina and I love Indonesia - but we both find it very disappointing that such lovely people don't seem to think litter is a problem.  I've never been anywhere in Indonesia where the garbage load is not absolutely dreadful!  Rich Indonesians tend to blame 'poor people', but our observation is that they're all about equally as bad as each other.

Bali tends to be a little better - but you can still find Indo-mie noodle packets caked into every path and all types of garbage caught in every bend of anything from an irrigation channel to a major river.

Rockhampton is quite a grand town.  There are beautiful old buildings in the centre of the town - and I love the Queenslander houses that are everywhere.  Not so keen on the low rise, brick veneers that seem to be what is built now.

There are also an awful lot of 4WD motor vehicles here.  It must have more Toyota Landcruiser utes per head of population than anywhere else.