Monday 9 September 2013 – First full day in Cotton Tree

Woke pretty early today to sunshine, and after breakfast and shower we went for a wander over to the beach (a full 50 mtrs away from the van).  The beach itself is lovely, and lots of water activities are happening all the time including the popular stand-up paddling (on boards, not just standing up in the water and paddling!).

The beach and fish scaling table.

We spoke to John and Lorraine Backman who are here spending a week with their son Mark and his family, so later in the morning they came to the park for a visit.  We sat around the van for half an hour or so then went across to a café just beside the park on the edge of the sand where we sat and had a cuppa and a good old natter for another hour before they went back to their apartment quite near to where we are.

During the morning I rang a bloke who had a for sale sign up in the laundry advertising a couple of good outdoor chairs – which we need badly.  He decided it would be easier for him to bring them round here for us to check out than for us to try to find where he lives, so we arranged for him to call around tomorrow morning.  They look very good in the photo in the ad, so we’ll see what they are like in real life.

After Backmans left we went off looking for the barber shop also advertised in the laundry noticeboard offering men’s haircuts from $10, so Grant went and was shorn and paid $10 – he was very happy.  Then I went and bought a bunch of flowers for the at-that-stage unmet relative we were visiting this afternoon.  She had rung this morning to confirm arrangements and give me her address.

Home for lunch, we then had a bit of a rest after such an active morning before getting organised for our visit to Lorraine Horn at Buderim.  We called and filled the petrol tank, primed Zola and headed off.  Zola scored 100% today, faultlessly directing us to a very hilly, pretty, winding area and to the exact address I had given her.  Lorraine – a Jessup connection - was very welcoming, made a cuppa and put out a plate of newly baked afternoon tea, and we set about our genealogical talk.  She is a very pleasant lady, with a great deal of knowledge about her branch of the family – the Ellens.  She made countless phone calls while we were there, confirming information I had and getting answers where she wasn’t sure.  She rang her Dad in Rockhampton about four times, her sister three or four times, another cousin a couple of times and several text messages to others.  She was extremely helpful and we didn’t leave there till 6.30pm.  Soon after we got there one of her daughters came in from work (teaching), and was only there about twenty minutes before she went off to aerobics.  I told her I would go with her but I was a bit busy!!

Dawn and Lorraine

Back at camp we cooked tea, which we have not long finished, and so ends day one in Cotton Tree.