#E is for Emu Park.
There are a lot of places named Emu something in Australia. For example, Emu Bay, Emu Creek, Emu Downs, Emu Flat, Emu Heights, Emu Park, Emu Plains, Emu Point, Emu Swamp, Emu Vale and a town called just plain Emu all have postcodes in Australia. The emu is Australia’s flightless bird, native only to us; it forms part of our Coat of Arms with the kangaroo and is an Australian icon.
We are going to Emu Park on the Capricorn Coast; population around 2500, except in holiday times. Emu Park makes the cut for this blog because it holds happy childhood memories. It is just a over the headland from Zilzie where we spent our summer holidays, and I can tell you, there is no place better than Zilzie! But we will get to that when we get to Z!
Each year our mother would walk with my brother, closest to me in age, and myself over that headland and into Emu Park; it was one of our summer adventures. We would buy hot pies with peas from the bakery and sit in Bell Park to eat them. We would walk along Fisherman’s Beach, over the rocks and swim at Main Beach which was lifesaver patrolled and in the late afternoon set off again over the headland and back to Zilzie.
This was an annual event for us but I am reminded of a man, now long since departed who did that walk, over the headland and back, twice a a day. A Mr Freddie Thwaite who traversed the headland on each low tide to fish his traps at Zilzie.
Emu Park is probably best known now for its Singing Ship, perched on the headland between Fisherman and Main Beaches, whose pipes are designed to sing when played upon by the wind. I was a teenager when the Singing Ship was built. We went to its opening; a family affair! The ship’s designer was the mother of a girl in my high school and actually it was a pretty big deal.
The link below is definitely worth a read to understand the story behind its design, its designer and construction.
Singing Ship, the Central Queensland memorial to Captain James …
The Singing Ship was built as a Bicentenary Project to mark Captain James Cook’s visit to Keppel Bay in May 1770. ( Supplied: Capricorn Coast Historical Association)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-30/landmark-singing-ship-50-y
Emu Park. A wonderful spot to holiday.
Way leads onto Way 
Great read Estelle – you had a wonderful childhood.
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Thank you, David. It is one of the pleasures of getting older, remembering the things you did when a youngster. I am sure you have a few tales to tell also.
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