Bowen, Townsville, 26-31 May

The beach was very inviting at Horseshoe bay near Bowen: beautiful rock formation, very clear sea, which was perfect for a bit of snorkeling. Nina  was very excited to try her goggles in the sea and find fish in the water and coral but after a short while she was a bit cold and wanted to get out.

I climbed up the little hill to check the view from the lookout: it was very nice.

In Rowes bay, lovely part of Townsville, we caught up with Manfred's niece and partner who are also traveling through part of the country. We ended up staying there for a few days.
I really liked the look of the big hill of Townsville and found out too late that we could have driven up there (there is a lookout).
We all liked the Strand (rockpool and picnic/BBQ area) and the little water park close by. Nina is still scared of those big water splashes and she was half enjoying half dreading the water features. Poor Annabelle had a rough introduction to the water when a bigger boy just grabbed her and put her under a little water mushroom. You should have seen the expression on her little face.
Next day we had a look at 2 of the northern beaches (Bushland and Saunders). There were signs about stingers all year round on those beaches so we didn’t go swimming although it was pretty hot.
On Sunday we checked out the Townsville market before visiting Reef HQ aquarium. It was worth a visit. They have a nice little area for kids (play area, educative games).