Sunrise over the blue lights of the park pool heralded a fine day.
The first on today’s list of activities now that the storms had moved on was to check out Kinka Beach itself.
One of the many, and very sensibly numbered beach access walkways lies directly across the road from our park.
Down the stairway and across the wide expanse of low coastal vegetation (and no, that's not me with a walking stick...thanks for asking!)
and we were standing on the typically dark sands of this part of the world. As you can see, looking firstly to the north
and then the south, the tide was receding
and there was plenty of firm sand underfoot which made for a most pleasant gallop along the shore. We needed both the sunshine and the exercise. The waters here are still safe for swimming (usually)....to date there have been no croc sightings this far south (yet) and the wretched stinging jelly fish of the more northern waters don't pose a problem (again, yet). Both these pests seem to be steadily moving south, particularly the large lizards, which, since they have been protected, are exploding numerically. There is an on-going debate as to the need to begin culling which is far from over.
After a goodly work out along the flat, firm sands of Kinka Beach, it was time to mount our trusty metal steed and make our way to Emu Park. I had a job to do.
Location, location, location. Never was this real estate cry more
appropriate that in the case of the Emu Park RSL. When we last visited this delightful
Capricornia Coast town four years ago, I made a note on my bucket list to
return at some stage and enjoy a cold beer on the front verandah of the Emu
Park RSL. That was about to be ticked off.
But it just got better.....in the
intervening period between our visits, the local luminaries, most ably inspired
and led by one Ross Coulter have developed and installed one of the most
stunning memorials we have ever encountered.
I'll let the plaque tell Ross's story.
We began our walk of discovery at the Singing Ship statue, erected in memory of Cook’s visit to this coast in 1770 (see blog September 2012)
The path soon took us to the new viewing platform developed as part of the coastal boardwalk, ‘The Centenary of Anzac Memorial Walk’, from which sweeping views across the waters to the many islands which form the Keppel group are free for the taking.
From here the boardwalk takes visitors along the edge of the coastal cliffs towards the first structure of the memorial complex with continuing ocean views rewarding all who tramp these boards.
Now before we explore the various
elements of this incredible memorial, let me set the scene with a panoramic
view of this entire area where the building housing informative plaques, an
extraordinary cliff top painting and the Anzac Court memorial wall all occupy a
curving sweep of the cliff edge opposite the Emu Park RSL clubhouse.
The thought, creativeness, and endeavour which Ross and his team lavished on this project has produced a sensational result.
The thought, creativeness, and endeavour which Ross and his team lavished on this project has produced a sensational result.
Let’s begin at the beginning, the open sided building at the end of the memorial walkway.
The modest exterior of this structure houses a real surprise inside, including another marvellous sea view.
All the interior walls here tell a story, both general and personal. The entire chronology of the Australian involvement in WW1 is detailed on various panels
which are regularly interspersed with others on which the personal and service histories of many locals who enlisted are brought to life in oft poignant detail. (apologies for the reflections in the photos....there was nothing I could do about it, despite trying many different angles) This is a place where two hours can drift by in a trice.
Even the floor carries a message.
Here we found the well known red poppies, that iconic WW1 symbol of sacrifice,
with a unique addition.....blue poppies to pay tribute to those from the Australian Nursing Corps who also paid such a heavy price for their unstinting devotion to duty in what must have been horrific circumstances.
The floor is also decorated with a mass of red crosses of different sizes, each one representing a life lost on the fields of conflict.
The amount of work it must have taken to research and develop this element of the memorial is truly staggering.
The same could be said for the next.......a recreation of the painting by David Rowlands, ‘The Spirit – Gallipoli Landing 1915’. This had a particular connection for Liz and me...as is described in the accompanying text, those depicted storming the forbidding ramparts above the beach at Anzac Cove are South Australians, members of the 10th Division who came ashore thirty minutes after the first landing.
The panel on which this painting has been recreated is glass. Here visitors are invited to align the horizon on the painting with that of the sea behind it to create the impression that one is actually on the Anzac Beach, with the distant islands now representing the battle fleet lying off the Turkish coast. I did my best to line things up as suggested....it sort of worked!
From here we moved on to Anzac Court. Here a curved stone wall supports a row of silhouetted diggers on the move. Again, this section of the memorial reflects reality...a photograph of troops of the 1st Anzac Division crossing duckboards in the mud of Flanders to relieve their comrades on the front line, taken by the legendary Frank Hurley on 5 October 1917, forms the basis of this display.
At night, lights shining up from the base of the wall creates an eerie morning light image when the figures appear almost as apparitions. Here again, the end result is a reflection of significant research, imagination and skilled crafting. Simply stunning!
And right across the road stands the building which brought us here in the first place....the Emu Park RSL.
This is a very well populated RSL sub-branch, due in no small measure to the fact that a large RSL retirement village forms part of the Emu Park community. Here the members can dine in comfort
or breast the bar for a frothie or two.
As is usually the case, Unit and Corps plaques line the walls
but here there is a special addition, these various Corps badges crafted out of metal.
This form of representation also
includes a stylised depiction of a flight of Bell 205s, more commonly known as
the Iroquois or Huey helicopter, the aircraft now inextricably associated with the Vietnam war.
But did I tick off that bucket list item? You bet I did.
"Cheers".
This day remains the highlight of our return to the Yeppoon area. We did visit that town itself to resupply the larder and spend a few moments in the barber's chair. We both agreed that our recollections of having very fond memories of Yeppoon were accurate and the enjoyment of our stay at Kinka Beach made the detour off the Bruce for a few days well worth while.
Next on our travelling agenda was to be a first.....the isolated park of Cape Palmerston. We had heard and read much of this, but our stay here was to bring much more than we had bargained for.
No comments:
Post a Comment