Our second day on the road June 21st.2001

We intended to start early yesterday (Sunday) but we had a very busy day on Sat. at the church fete and we were exhausted, to be honest by Saturday evening we literally didn't know what day it was and even Sunday morning we were still confused and couldn't set the burglar alarm.It took an hour and a half for us to lock up so we only made it to Childers for our overnight stop.Childers is famous or perhaps that should be infamous for the fire at the backpacker's hotel which killed 19? young people.It had been set deliberately and a man is in prison for murder.It is actually 10 years on Weds. it happened.The building has been restored with an information centre on the ground floor and a commemorative museum upstairs.We found it rather distasteful that a Subway seems to be part of the building and is has a flashing neon sign in the window.Bad enough taste from a historical building perspective made worse given the buildings recent history. The town also boasts a strong contender for the most incomprehensible/naff public art work in the country if not the world. It's supposed to celebrate the merger of two districts but looks like a blob wearing striped swimming trunks and braces rising from the pavement.

Today we have meandered our way up the Bruce Highway and we are now sat in a motel room at the back of a roadhouse at a place called Carmila which is approx. 90ks south of Mackay.Temp. today max. 26 so we are hoping to wear shorts tomorrow.