Again, I don't know what difference it would have made, because when filling out the Customs slip I ticked the box about having been out in the countryside over the preceding week, which we had been. Madam hadn't, so regardless of my answer about the foodstuffs we might have ended up in the queue anyway.
Without the earbud bit, of course, we would have been at the top of the queue, so when the phone rang and the Ukulele Lady asked whether we were through Immigration, the response was that we were in a queue and weren't sure how long we'd be there because there were a few people in front of us and no one seemed to be in a hurry.
Eventually, however, we got the all clear and made our way to the front of the building, where a lengthy wait ensued. Under other circumstances, when the call came we'd have been just about through the reentry process and would probably have been told the Ukulele Lady would be right over.Still, it was early in the morning, so when Ukulele Lady and Sushi Chef Husband arrived in two cars and offered to show us the quickest way out of town there wasn't a great deal of traffic about, and we made our way onto the Bruce Highway without too much difficulty.
And here's where the little things started to add up.
The first issue involved the sunglasses that are de rigeur when driving in bright sunlight. They were in Madam's luggage, and we needed to pull over somewhere so they could be retrieved. That took place in a rest area on the banks of the Mulgrave, where we could also have had a toilet break, but, as in so many other instances through the course of the morning the penny refused to drop.
As we neared Innisfail two things were obvious.
First, we needed something more substantial than croissants and coffee for breakfast. Fine. On the other side of Innisfail there's a rather good bakery at Mourilyan where the pies are excellent.
Second, it was obvious that Madam needed to take a break and catch up on some sleep. She's remarked on the difference between Economy and Business the night before while we'd been waiting for dinner, remarking that she'd probably already be asleep if we were sitting further back. Of course, had we been sitting further back we wouldn't have had the three-thirty wake up call.
Still, we made it to the Bakery, and when an inquiry about rest areas nearby proved unsuccessful I asked about Etty Bay, which produced an answer along the lines of yes, you could go there. Lovely spot.