Tin Can to Tinana

The road to Tin Can Bay was lined with yellow coriopsis daisies on one side and west-bound caravans on the other.  Jan and Jo as locals had never seen such traffic on that road.  It was just after booking out time at the campgrounds, though.

The Baptist Church op shop there is hidden away in a back street, so I don't know how many random visitors would find it.  We made it well before noon and eased our groaning bodies out of the car.

It is in two sections: the bigger things and the books (half price) are in a shed out the back, guarded by an elderly woman who takes cash only.  You are not allowed to used the back steps to get into the hall, but having paid for your outside goodies, must then enter via the front door.  To try on clothes, you must squeeze through the staff-only area (the stage) to get to the change room.  It is a great little shop, suitably mildly disorganised, where everything is SO cheap.  I bought five things there (they do have eftpos inside) for a total of $5.50, including my first possible entry in the annual quirky objects competition. It is a glass advertising a Turkish soft drink.  The slogan translated reads "ten hundred thousand million bubbles".

Now it was time for early lunch. The obvious place to try was Barnacles at the marina, but everything on the menu was greasy.  Jo did find a friend there, however.  We then found The Snack Shack, where we bought delicious rolls and ate them at the picnic table opposite, by the water - sorry - mud flats. On our way out, we found a double tree next to the loos next to the lovely old RSL Hall.  Then Jo complained about the beautiful new concrete bikeway all the way from Cooloola Cove (where there is no cove) to Tin Can Bay, because she has been lobbying for a very short one near Imbil, without success.

Our next stop was Maryborough, via the eastern road past Tinnanbar, Poona and Boonooroo..  Roadside signs  warned of horses, and we did spot a couple. They would make a nice mess of your car.

The first shop was Vinnies, which we had visited many years ago on our first trip. I was sure I remembered a large statue of St Vincent de Paul standing tall above the centre of the shop, but he had vanished.  This is another really good shop, which we rated highly last time, but I didn't find much there.  My best score was a pair of reading glasses for $2.  If you ask really nicely, they will escort you to the loo out the back, and wait, I guess in case you get lost.  

While I was waiting for the others to be served, I found poor old Vincent, relegated to a little side window.

We next revisited the Salvos, a much smaller shop, where once again books were half price.  Jan was the only purchaser here.  It didn't impress me last time, nor this time.  Our final Maryborough stop was the big Lifeline at Tinana, definitely worth a visit.  I finally managed to find the missing piece of my outfit for day two, just in time.  Jo had a loyalty card, which meant if she spent $30, she wouldn't have to pay anything. Her $27-worth and my $3 purchase meant a freebie for both of us, thank you very much.

So ended our shopping for Day One, and we headed for our digs for the night.