My Nexus 7 tablet developed charging problems before we left home. They became worse as we travelled. I use navigation apps on the Nexus which run while we travel. Normally, because it is plugged into a 12 volt charger all day, we arrive at that days destination with the Nexus fully charged. Now it slowly goes flat during the day.

After a few tries I found a repairer in Rockhampton who was prepared to look at it. His diagnosis is that wires that connect the USB port are loose and need soldering. But on such a device the repair requires micro soldering and that is not a common process and probably not available outside of Brisbane at best. So the much loved Nexus is out of service, at least until we are back in Brisbane.

Ready to deal with the fish and chips

Fortunately I have another tablet, a Samsung Tab 3, which I received from Telstra as a reward for upgrading the data package on my phone. I have transferred the navigation apps to the Tab 3 but it has a larger screen that the Nexus so won’t fit in the frame attached to the dash board of the car. So I have had to order a larger size which, hopefully, will meet us in Longreach, on Tuesday. We will, of course, spend at least part of Tuesday night filling in our Census form.

The wet play area at Yeppoon

But back to the narrative! The distance from Gracemere to Kinka Beach is only 60 km, so even with a stop at the shops in North Rockhampton, we were at Kinka Beach by 11.30 am.  Registration formalities complete, we proceeded to park the van beside the allotted concrete slab. No easy task, as there was a large tree in the way. We finally prevailed, had lunch and settled in to wait for the arrival of Sister Aileen and brother-in-law Colin and their friends Marj and Vic.

View south from Yeppoon. Rosslyn Bay is on the left

We didn’t do a great deal during the two days.  An outing to Emu Park the first day to stock up on food. Ruth went with the others while I stayed behind to get my blog up to date. On day two we drove up to Yeppoon for lunch (excellent fish and chips followed by coffee) and then drove steadily back down the coast road, known as Scenic Highway, taking in the panorama of beach, ocean and islands and stopping in at the Rosslyn Bay marina, where we sat and watched what little activity there was while soaking up some wonderful sunshine. Here I write particularly on behalf of the four Victorian visitors.

Boats and residential area at Rosslyn Bay

In between, we spent a considerable amount of time chatting, as we caught up on news of the Victorian branch of our family, seated in the sunshine and protected as much as possible from a pesky chilly south westerly wind. Daytime temperatures were low to mid twenties, but overnight got down to below 10 C most nights. But that is mostly how it has been since we left home.