Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
have showers, although the toilets are down the hall. They also have a number of 4½-star
motel rooms.
Coffee House
( 07-4927 5722;
www.coffeehouse.com.au
; 51 William St; r $160-189; )
The Coffee House features
beautifully appointed motel rooms, self-contained apartments and spa suites. There's a
popular, stylish cafe-restaurant-wine bar on site.
MOTEL, APARTMENT
$$
CAPRICORN CAVES
In the Berserker Range, 24km north of Rockhampton near the Caves township, the amazing
Capricorn Caves
(
07-4934 2883;
www.capricorncaves.com.au
; 30 Olsens Caves Rd; adult/child $27/14; 9am-4pm) are not
to be missed. These ancient caves honeycomb a limestone ridge, and on a guided tour through the caverns and
labyrinths you'll see cave coral, stalactites, dangling fig-tree roots and little insectivorous bats. The highlight of
the one-hour 'cathedral tour' is the beautiful natural rock cathedral where a recording of 'Amazing Grace' is
played to demonstrate the cavern's incredible acoustics. Every December, traditional Christmas carol singalongs
are held in the cathedral. Also in December, around the summer solstice (1 December to 14 January), sunlight
beams directly through a 14m vertical shaft into Belfry Cave, creating an electrifying light show. If you stand dir-
ectly below the beam, reflected sunlight colours the whole cavern with whatever colour you're wearing.
Daring spelunkers can book a two-hour 'adventure tour' ($75) which takes you through tight spots with names
such as 'Fat Man's Misery'. You must be at least 16 years old for this tour.
The Capricorn Caves complex has barbecue areas, a pool, kiosk, and
accommodation
(unpowered/powered
site $30/35, cabin from $140).
Eating & Drinking
Ginger Mule
STEAKHOUSE
$
( 07-4927 7255; 8 William St; mains from $10; 11.30am-midnight Wed & Thu, to 2am Fri, 4pm-2am Sat)
Rocky's coolest eatery bills itself as a tapas bar, but everyone's here for one thing: steak!
And bloody (or chargrilled) good steak it is too. They have regular late-week meals spe-
cials (including $10 steaks); pop down early or prepare to battle for a table. Morphs into a
cocktail bar late in the evenings.
Saigon Saigon
( 07-4927 0888;
www.saigonbytheriver.com
; Quay St; mains $12-20; 11.30am-2.30pm & 5-9pm Wed-Mon)
This two-storey bamboo hut overlooks the Fitzroy River and serves pan-Asian food with
local ingredients like kangaroo and crocodile served in a sizzling steamboat. Not up for
ASIAN
$
