Capricorn Kapers

Transfixed! Finger in mouth, our son Trent sat totally engaged. Blue eyes wide, he gazed at a tropical sky lashed with white lightening and coated with smoky grey clouds lined with the steamy pinks of sunset, only blinking when cracks of thunder reverberated from the heavens.

We were sitting on the balcony of our suite at the Rydges Capricorn Resort on the central Queensland coast watching Nature hold her spectacular'Tropical Storm Program'. Better then TV, storms were part of the summer weather on the Capricorn Coast, bringing out some natural excitement to add to a seaside holiday.

This, our first time in a large resort, was an eye-opener for our family of independent holiday makers. Covering 22,000 acres, the resort had almost everything we needed to entertain the children, help ourselves relax and explore a very different environment.

Located near the seaside town of Yepoon, 30 minutes from Rockhampton, the resort is dominated by a huge pool. It included a toddlers pool, a beach pool with a sandy beach for the bucket and spade brigade and a general pool area splashed by a three-tiered waterfall. A large spa found me in hot bubbles with mind in neutral.

A little path led us to the real beach, a 20km stretch of sand watered by clear turquoise water. The jellyfish sign put us off swimming, though the staff assured us that only one jellyfish had been sighted in the past five years.

The resort's children's centre, 'Kids Kapers', has centre-based activities for 2 10 year olds while older children participated in various outdoor activities around the resort. The whole family took to the canoe tour, paddling deep into the wetlands rehabilitated back to lush life from grazing paddocks and now teaming with wildlife. These included the famous brolgas, one of the 150 species of birds, who danced around on their lanky legs as part of their courtship ritual.

Table tennis, lawn bowls, sailing, ball games, two golf courses, the sauna and gym were on offer and dining took the form a different restaurant each night, including a superbly cooked (and uncooked) selection of sushi's and seafood dishes from the Japanese restaurant. One indulgent occasion found us sprawled around talking... just talking (wow)... .while waiting for room service.

When we felt more active we tried horseriding along the beach and camel rides around the resort. I headed for the spa again after that while the others took the bikes out.

Taking our leave, we pulled ourselves back to the wider world and took in some of the rest of the Capricorn coast. It's a big sunny place dotted with coastal resorts, beaches and islands. We did a day trip to the Great Barrier Reef and after donning snorkel, mask and flippers, explored the colorful underwater world of fish and coral.

Rockhampton is the beef capital of Queensland and visiting the livestock yards gave us a completely different insight into how animals are handled and processed. Sun-bleached squints and dusty akubra's gave a peek into life on the vast beef stations west of Rockhampton while trying to decipher the language used by the auctioneer whose gravelly calls blasts across hairy brown backs is far more exciting then any house auction.

Historical homesteads, aboriginal cultural centres and magical caves wrapped up the holiday nicely, however the best part of our holiday was unplanned. That time we sprawled on the balcony holding another's hand or foot; together as a contented family watching as Nature stroked sky and sea with glorious color and light, dwells in my mind as the highlight of Capricorn memories.

The Capricorn Coast is 5-6 hours drive north of Brisbane and is serviced by air, rail and coach. Capricorn Information Centre: email infocentre@capricorntourism.com.au, website www.capricorntourism.com.au

- Phoenix Arrien
Travel Writer