It was up and off for a day trip today, driving 100 kilometres or so north, with the aim of visiting the regional town of Ingham. Ingham will in all likely hood be the northern most point of Queensland that we reach given the changes we’ve made to our itinerary. We had been going to make it as far up as Cairns, but changed our minds having previously visited the region. Cruising up the highway, we were subjected to dozens of billboards and signs urging us to stop at the ‘Frosty Mango’. The not so subliminal advertising campaign worked, as we found ourselves turning into the driveway at what promised to be a haven of good food, good coffee and good local produce. Being about 11:30AM, we were considering an early lunch if it was anywhere near as good as it was pledged. It wasn’t. I think that the frosty in the name may well have related to the reception we received upon entering. As for the mango, well, the jury is out. There certainly weren’t any fresh ones to be had, although there were some jars of locally produced jams, some of which appeared to contain mango. Needless to say, we didn’t make a purchase, deciding to wait until Ingham for lunch. They are obviously used to people not buying anything, as it was going to cost us 50 cents, just to spend a penny, if you didn’t spend a dime. I’ll wait until Ingham for that as well then, no matter the urgency.

Ingham itself has little going for it, apart from being the home of the ‘Original Pub With No Beer’. There is some consternation as to which pub Slim Dusty was singing about in his 1957 worldwide, number one, hit song, ‘The Pub With No Beer’, but the Lees Hotel in Ingham claims the right to being the original. As the story goes, during World War II, the hotel did indeed run out of beer, an event that was immortalised by a local punter, Dan Sheahan, in poem. This verse was later added to, when Gordon Parsons reworked it to include characters found at his own local watering hole in New South Wales. It is this version that became the world renown hit song.

Not Really That Iconic From This Angle.

As it turns out, even though it is known as ‘the pub with no beer’, the beer is back and flowing in Ingham. Or at least it would have been if there had been anyone behind the bar, willing to pour us a cold frothy one. I am sure that it has its moments, but today it could have been better served by the moniker of ‘the pub with no customers’. Still, we had the chance to wander unmolested through the main bar, looking at the historical newspaper articles adorning the walls and reading about its history. Disappointingly, whilst I had a picture in my mind of what I expected, which was of an old fashioned, wide verandah shaded, timber clad hotel, the reality was a simple characterless brick building. If not for the overly prominent signs proclaiming its fame, one would most likely wander past without a second glance. As it was, we lunched down the road at the much nicer looking Royal Hotel.

We then wandered about the main street, before heading to the nearby supermarket to do our grocery shopping before getting ready to return to Townsville. Before leaving Ingham, we decided to give the dogs a bit of a walk. As I lifted Bethany out, I felt her leash slip from my grasp. Quick as a flash, she sensed her freedom, and hitting the ground, she made a run for it. In shock, and hoping against hope that she wouldn’t make the nearby road, I took a flying leap, looking somewhat akin to a cowboy hatted Superman. I was at full stretch as I landed prostrate on the damp grass, regaining a grip on the leash with my finger tips in a display of athleticism that would have been lauded had I been a rugby player attempting to ground a game saving try. I don’t know what she would have done had I missed, but it was a great relief that she was back under our control.

Heading back towards Townsville, it was time for Bec to get a decent chance behind the wheel of ‘The Beast’. I threw her the keys, took up residence on the wrong side of the car, and off we went. Apart from negotiating a little bit of traffic in Ingham, it was a pretty straightforward drive for her back to the caravan park. Perfect to get her confidence up, not that she needs it. She did it with ease. Probably better than me in the passenger seat, but I never have been a good passenger. Bec can claim another 100Km of driving now.

Bec Pilots ‘The Beast’.

Safe and sound (naturally enough), we arrived back at the van with enough daylight left to sit out in the annex for a bit of a rest, take the dogs for a run in the wide open dog exercise area, and then prepare dinner, before relaxing for the remainder of the evening.

Relaxing in our alfresco area.

Funny story before I go. We went over to the bathrooms earlier. Having done what needed to be done, I emerged exclaiming to Bec that I had saw fit to take a happy snap of the bug zapper in the gents. She was rather dejected, decrying the fact that there was no such luxury in the ladies room. Then I showed her the picture.

Bug Zapper.

Until next time, stay safe, have fun and don’t forget to write.