Manatee (the only red yacht) in "the pond" |
We visited Flagstaff Hill which offers a 360 degree view of the area and an indigenous hospitality training café offered coffee, cake and dog bowls!
looking back to Gloucester Island from Flagstaff Hill |
The town makes the most of the fact that it was used to portray Darwin in Baz Luhrmann's epic Australia. It appeared that Nicole or Hugh ate at every restaurant or visited every shop.
These people appear on the mural on the supermarket car park wall.
This mural is painted in recognition of the contribution that the South Sea Island community has made to the Shire of Bowen. Jimmy Womald was a young boy when he was taken from his island MOTLEP in the Banks Group. Jim related how he thought he was put ashore at Bundaberg to work on the sugar cane field. He traveled to Mackay and then on to Bowen, where he married Lizzie from the island of FAUNALEP. They had seven children. Tomas Yasso, was bought from the island of TANNA in the New Hebrides, now Vanuatu, in the late 1800's. His younger brother, Neplio, also worked on the sugar cane fields. Tomas was brought down to the Proserpine area with his young wife Topsy Taiter. When the Government offered to return them home or stay in Australia they chose to remain and moved to Bowen.
Bowen was also the maintenance base for the Catalinas during 1942 to 1945.
Bowen was also the maintenance base for the Catalinas during 1942 to 1945.
The Catalina PBY-5 is shown in this mural.
AK returned from a week in Mackay (and luckily picked up the van which we continue to leapfrog up the coast) only to drive Marg to the local hospital where she stayed for a few days getting treatment for pneumonia.
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