Adventures of Delvy : The Burdekin

A trip away in the motor home, Delvy, couldn't come soon enough. I love being on the road and exploring. This excursion had a purpose though, which gave us the excuse we needed to turn the key and give Delvy a run after a few months of being parked up beside the shed. Now that we have opted for a more stationary lifestyle (for now anyway) to put some hard earned cash away, the old girl doesn't get out much. So when I was asked if I wanted to play in a three day tennis tournament in the Burdekin it was the perfect opportunity to bring along my own accommodation.

Driving north west from Proserpine in the Whitsundays on the Friday afternoon was a little hard on the eyes, as the Bruce Highway heads straight into the sun. The afternoon light was enchanting, but were glad to see the sun sink so we could see where we were going!

We pulled up at Home Hill on dark, and instead of heading for the 24 hour comfort stop adjacent to the railway line, figuring it would be pretty full anyway, we opted for the self contained park over at the showground at $6 per person.

Home Hill Showground overnight park

There are thousands of people travelling on the road in northern Queensland at this time of year: every second vehicle is a RV, and the free overnight stops are full to overflowing. But we are happy to pay a small fee to the local community to park our bus for the night. The clean amenities on offer are a bonus.

Home of the hand sugar cane cutting championships, the freshly cut burnt stalks was evidence of a recent competition. The cane is burnt prior to harvesting in the Burdekin area as it grows thicker and taller than usual, creating more trash that makes it difficult to mechanically harvest.

Hand cut sugarcane

The oval is no longer a place for recreational activities as it is now fully covered with vegetable beds.

Main arena turned vegetable garden

It was a early start in the morning as I was due at the Ayr tennis courts at 9.00am, ready to play in the 35th annual Home Hill Sugar Bowl tournament.

Crossing the Burdekin

The Burdekin River

Delvy at Ayr tennis courts

Teams of six compete in 15 sets of tennis each over three days, alternating between Ayr and Home Hill tennis clubs. I was in a ladies A2 grade team called the Double Shots with two girls from Mackay, two from Magnetic Island and one other from Proserpine. In warm and dry conditions we managed to be in second place at the end of the second day. However, the third day brought challenging windy and squally weather and we couldn't win enough games so finished a respectable fourth - a solid midfield performance. We'll be back again next year though. It was a very well run event, fun with good competition and a great way to meet some new people.