A quick trip home and back to Tin Can Bay

We were back at home to Woody Point for a few days to go to brother in law Mike’s surprise 60^th birthday party.  We also caught up with our respective mothers for Mothers Day and Chris’ daughters and partners.

Lawrie, Kitty, Chris, Jenni and Mick

On Thursday we left the boat at 08:25 for the 7 minute walk to the Tin Can Bay Sleepy Lagoon Hotel to catch the Greyhound bus.  How wonderfully provincial to make the pub the local transit centre!  Tickets have to be pre-purchased, so the driver knows to come into Tin Can Bay to pick you up.  “Be there 20 minutes early” the Greyhound operator told Chris.   The bus was due at 09:05.  At 09:30, feeling a little concerned that we may have been forgotten, we called Greyhound.  “No problem, the bus is close; it was 1 hour late leaving Hervey Bay.”  

The Sleepy Lagoon Hotel - Tin Can Bay

Where is that bus?

Tin Can Bay Water Tower (opposite Sleepy Lagoon Hotel)

The bus arrived just before 10:00 and we departed the Sleepy Lagoon Hotel, Tin Can Bay at 10:02.  It became clear that we were on the backpacker express when the bus turned left to go to Rainbow Beach and not right to go to Gympie.  “Timely” and “direct” do not feature in this little story.  This is where we went.

Arrive	Place	Departure
	On Board Maripi	08:25
08:33	Sleepy Lagoon Hotel	10:02
10:30	Rainbow Beach	10:35
11:29	Bruce Highway southern Gympie
11:40	Matilda Centre at Kybong	12:14
13:00	Noosa Junction	13:10
13:48	Maroochydore	13:49
13:59	Mooloolaba	14:00
14:38	Deception Bay Road turn off
15:15	Roma Street Bus Station
15:45	Shorncliffe Train (also at Roma Street)	16:22
16:30	690 Bus at Sandgate
16:50	HOME

Almost 8.5 hours.  It just shows that you can get almost anywhere on public transport – so long as the time does not matter.   The hot spots for Backpackers were Rainbow Beach and Noosa and then Byron Bay.  The bus emptied, then refilled, with a fresh load of young adventurers at both Rainbow and Noosa. 

Our Greyhound bus at Matildas at Kybong

 The 60^th birthday party was fabulous.  The three great nieces (Robyn’s sister Julie’s three grandchildren) ran around and danced to the music played by the versatile muso Richard. 

Kiera, Travis, Grace, Mike (the birthday boy), Gareth, Julie, Elisha and Mackenzie

  On Tuesday, our neighbour Gordon drove us back to Tin Can Bay.  The 2.5 hour trip, including a lunch break at Matilda at Kybong was a luxury.  On Wednesday we had a visit from Ursula and her long time friends Lyn and Wendy.

Tin Can Bay is a quiet little village on Tin Can Inlet.  It offers the first marina facilities north of the Wide Bay Bar.  We enjoyed Barnacles café at the northern end of the village.  Here you can feed dolphins at 08:00 any morning for only $5.00.  There looks to be plenty of good accommodation available as well.  Both commercial and recreational fishing seem to be the main past time.   

Dolphin feeding

 Our repairs to the port motor have been completed. 

Port motor all fixed

 We are ready to begin our next journey on Friday. Robyn is delighted to be getting going again.

Robyn says "Let's go"

 Friday looks like a trip to the marina laundromat for washing our last dirty clothes; take out the garbage and have a luxuriously long shower;  refill the port water tank and Maripi  will be out of Tin Can Bay Marina with the ebb tide around 11:00 am.