Cooktown - Karumba

We set a new record in packing up, to the kids' delight, and left our Cooktown campsite at 7:57 a.m. We drove back in to town to see the spot where Cook beached the Endeavour, as the fishermen missed it the day before. We also spent some time playing another musical installation in the shape of the Endeavour. As we drove south we stopped to see Black Mountain - a hill of fractured granite covered in black lichen. The mountains are a place of cultural significance for the Kuku Yalanji people, who call them Kalkajaka, or 'place of the spear'.It was a spooky and strange place - apparently the local tribe have 4 sacred sites here, but they also have many taboo areas where no-one enters. You can feel why! The granite sometimes explodes after rainfall, and there are stories of men, horses and mobs of cattle disappearing in the black labyrinth.

Black Mountain

We were surprised to see pawpaws and bananas growing around Lakeland as the burnt, barren savannah continued to be the main scenery. Worried about the grocery prices for the next part of the trip, we decided to stock up in Mareeba.
We pulled in to Rocky Creek Memorial Park between Mareeba and Atherton to free camp for the night.  The Memorial Park is situated where the laundry block of a 3000 bed WW2 hospital once was. Over 60 000 patients from all theatres of war in the South-west Pacific were treated here, and the complex was the largest in the southern hemisphere during the war. In fact, this whole area was the largest military base in Australia, with up to 100 000 troops stationed across the Atherton Tablelands at 160 sites. We were very happy to make a donation to help preserve the area and continue erecting the monuments to honour those involved in the war.

After our history lesson, Jackson and I spent about an hour and a half trying to find homes for the $400 of groceries. As we were stashing things away, we heard something that sounded like karaoke. Well, it turned out we had parked next to a travelling karaoke devotee - set up with her laptop, microphone and speaker! Her reasonably tuneful warblings were OK for the first hour, but after that we were starting to plan an operation to knock out her generator. We were just applying the vegemite to our faces for the sortie when she decided that she was karaoke-d out and mercifully unplugged!

I'm not sure spies advertise!

We had no trouble getting up early the next morning - the kids were super excited to go to Herberton and visit the Spy & Camera Museum. It was set up by a guy who was in the Special Forces in Korea and he had used and collected some of the spy stuff (technical term!) on display. The boys were in heaven, and Marcus loved it so much that he had to have a Spy & Camera Museum Tshirt. We had a personal guided tour there for an hour and a half, then reluctantly agreed to move on.

Kitty cats ...

and peeping Toms!

We had decided not to visit the Herberton Historical Village (having seen the one in Miles recently) but it just looked so good as we drove past! We are all suckers for history, so we paid up and went in. Wow! We spent 4 absorbing hours there, with even the kids' excitement and interest levels remaining high for all that time. Harry Skennar, a Herberton local, started the collection when he was 6, continuing his passion until 75. Most of the collection came from the Herberton tip, where he would cry "You can't throw that away! That is history!" Time has proven him correct, and he fortuitously sold the village to Craig Kimberley (founder of Just Jeans) who has obviously pumped a lot of his fortune into the village. It was outstanding - go there if you ever get the chance! We had hoped to get a little further along the road, so although it was already 3 p.m. we drove to Millaa Millaa to see the falls. After a reviving coffee there we thought we would keep going so as not to miss another spectacular waterfall just out of Ravenshoe. (Thanks for the tip, Bob and Yvonne!)

The gorgeous Millaa Millaa Falls

Part of Australia's widest falls, Millstream Falls

Millstream Falls were also spectacular, but the light was fading fast so we skedaddled to our next free camp spot along a creek bank, arriving just on dusk. 

It was a cold night but we were up and moving in World Record Time - 7:38 a.m. I believe we may have awoken some of the other campers with our victory cheer as we left. Perhaps the Karaoke Lady was there! We drove through the last of the forest before hitting savannah country again, making it to Undara Lodge too early to even check in, so we booked a lava tube tour and had morning tea while waiting to get into our camp spot.

The Undara (meaning a long way) Lava Tubes are renowned in the geological world as the best and longest example of lava tubes anywhere in the world. They are not well known in Australia, and have only been open to the public since 1990. That explains why they are still in such pristine condition. That, and the fact that you can only view them on a tour as they are a protected part of the Undara National Park. The Undara eruption occurred 190 000 years ago, and the lava flows extended more than 160kms! There are 8 tubes you can visit - conditions permitting - and we opted for the tour where you could wade through the flooded tube. We saw plenty of wallabies, wallaroos and kangaroos driving to the tubes. First stop was a partially collapsed tube, where the remnant rainforest covering it made it completely distinct from the surrounding savannah. The tunnel was huge - 25m across and 19m high. The second tunnel we visited was flooded, but we all chose to wade through the water further into the tunnel. It was an amazing experience. One other guy came with us, but the rest of the party stayed behind! Expecting to get wet and muddy, I didn't take our good camera in, but we took a few shots with the compact camera. The last tunnel we visited was dark and long, and we needed torches (to Lachie's delight!) to get to the end. Inside we saw cave coral and a colony of microbats.

The flooded tube - not the one we swam in!
This one was full of dissolved guano.

A cool 19 degrees - wading in the lava tubes

After returning to camp, we had a swim in the pool to cool down (where Jackson patted a Pretty-faced Wallaby) and then played some music before bed.

The Lava Tubes are located under the green line
of remnant rainforest

Our guide told us the Kalkani Crater walk was well worth the effort, so next morning we stopped to climb the crater as we drove out of the park. Dave's leg was still sore (from the croc attack!) so I took the kids up to the crater rim, where we circumnavigated the ancient volcano. There were spectacular views from the top - you could see a number of the 164 volcanoes that had erupted here around the time of Undara. You could also clearly see the remnant rainforest (or semi-evergreen vine thicket) marking the lava tubes in the surrounding savannah. Ella made us all laugh as she put her car into first gear and drove carefully back down the steep slope to the bottom, complete with steering actions and very realistic car noises!

This is a good section!

Dave got into the back with the kids for a music session while I drove to Georgetown. The roads were appalling! One lane of bitumen in awful condition and soft shoulders on either side was not fun to drive on, particularly not when a huge road train was approaching! Jackson took a few photos to show what it was like. I was pleased to make it to Georgetown for lunch, and pleased to hand over the wheel for the next stint!

The roads improved (of course!) as we travelled further on to Croydon, where we got a couple of things at the local supermarket, including some iceblocks which were enjoyed on the slide! Milk was $6.50 for 3L, so we didn't include that in our order. We decided to travel on to Leichhardt Lagoon, just outside Normanton, to camp for the night so we could reach our booked site at Karumba early the next day.

Cold iceblocks much needed after
 a long, hot day! 

We pushed on with everyone on high alert for wallabies and kangaroos on the verge (and we saw lots!) and made it to Leichhardt's Lagoon late in the afternoon. Lots of free camps allow fires, so Lachie and Marcus had a "Bear Grylls Firestick Challenge" to light our fire. We toasted a few marshmallows after dinner, and Dave played guitar for a while, but were all too tired to sit staring into the fire for too long!

Deodorant partly overcomes this problem!

The birdlife here at the lagoon is staggering, so I got up early to take some photos before the last leg of our journey to Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria. Our bird identification book is getting a serious workout!

Imagine this for 360 degrees

We trundled on towards Normanton, and were surprised at how small it is, given that it is the service centre for the Gulf! Milk hit a new high here at $7 for 3L. We were all really excited to see our first brolgas just outside Normanton, and saw about 20 from there to Karumba. We drove through mostly savannah until just outside Karumba where the vista suddenly unfolded in front of us, and we could see why this area's catchphrase is "Where the Outback meets the sea". Photos don't do the view justice.

We arrived in Karumba (pop. 600) mid-morning and set up camp to maximise our time here. The boys are already chatting to the fishermen in the neighbouring camp spots getting tips for the next expedition!

Stay tuned ...

Cairns - Cooktown (& a CROC experience!)

Rex's Lookout on Captain Cook Highway

We got up early on Thursday 21st so we could hit the highway again. I was still feeling dreadful after the snorkelling experience, and did not enjoy the roundabout experiences leaving Cairns. The Captain Cook Highway north of Cairns is just amazing. The views cheered me up immensely and we took several photo opportunities.

Took the detour into Port Douglas and had morning tea on the waterfront, where the boys climbed right up into some huge trees. We tried to  drive away, but they saw us so we still have them!

Waterfront view at Port Douglas

We visited Mossman Gorge, part of the Daintree and walked in as the road was not suitable for caravans. Lucky we did, as we saw our 3rd cassowary!

The kids were enjoying the sugar cane harvesting as we drove on. We saw several crops being harvested. The bus driver yesterday told us it costs $7000 per day to harvest the cane. Contractors cut up to 60 tonnes a day, and the mill processes 60 000 tonnes per week. Ella asked "What do the sugar cane farmers do when they've planted the cane? Do they just put their feet up?"

Lunch stop at Newell Beach

The kids were very excited to reach the Daintree River Ferry. They spent the short trip glued to the windows trying to spot a croc!

We were all excited to finally reach our camping spot at Cape Tribulation in the Daintree National Park - another keenly anticipated highlight of the trip! We set up right on the waterfront and were almost able to see where the Endeavour struck the reef in 1770. The kids were thrilled to have a game of soccer with some other kids in the dark, using glowsticks as goals!

Peppermint Stick Insect

Next morning, we walked the Dubuji (place of spirits) through amazing fan palms. We told the kids we would buy them an icecream if they could spot some interesting wildlife, so it was a slow and thoroughly inspected walk! We found a large, green stick insect in a pandanus which we discovered was a fairly rare Peppermint Stick Insect when we visited the Daintree Insect Museum an hour later! The museum is the work of Stephen Lomond, who has discovered three new species in the area. Marcus was particularly interested in the Cairns and Richmond Birdwing displays, as he has studied them at school. As we were leaving, the lady pointed out a Big Greasy Butterfly, and was mystified when we all started laughing. Angus, you've obviously had something to do with that nomenclature!

We finally got to the icecream factory for the promised icecreams which were made from local cream and tropical fruit. The icecreams were divine and the location even better!

Back in camp, the kids found a huge rope swing on the beach so spent the rest of the afternoon playing there. Lachlan wanted to fish, so he went to the beach to wet his line. No luck with the fish, but he found 3 new friends in Tony, Charlie and Geoff who looked after him and said he reminded them of their grandsons!

Lachlan and his fishing friends

Lachlan was keen on more fishing the next morning, so he went out with guys at low tide and walked out past the reef. Dave went out too after a while, which he regretted as he fell into the coral on the way back and grazed his leg badly on both sides. Soon everyone in camp were checking in to see the guy who was mauled by the croc!

Not long after that the call went round camp that there were 4 whales just off the beach, so we went out to see them. You couldn't see much - a few waterspouts and fins, but it was cool!

Meantime, Lachlan had gone fishing again. I couldn't see him on the beach and I realised that he had probably gone down to the river. I was a bit worried about crocs, and although he was with Tony I went to ask at the office how safe it was. Apparently there are 3 crocs who live on the riverbank in the mangroves. Dave was laid up unable to move, so I bolted down to the mangroves to try to find Lachlan. As I slid down a mudbank towards the river, I realised that I was probably sliding down a croc slide. My heart was thumping when I finally found him, just in time to see him catch a Blackspot Snapper. I mentioned the crocodile situation with admirable restraint, since one of the guys was knee deep in the water. Lachie's eyes were like saucers as I explained how a croc could appear out of the water to grab something (or someone!) at the water's edge. Lachie said "Geez, I might not even have time to reel in!" We just turned to leave when the croc swam by ... about 3 metres from where we were standing!! He was about 4 metres long and cruised by, before swimming over to the other side.

After all that excitement, we were glad to light a fire on the beach and sat with another family chatting and playing some music. I am sure my adrenalin levels were still insanely high, despite the incredibly relaxed evening!

Slow down or else!

We packed up next morning for the long trip - not distance wise, but spirits wise - to Cooktown. The long trek through the harsh savannah was a bit demoralising after the lush rainforest and pristine beaches. Also depressing was the frozen bread we bought for lunch in Mt Molloy. Frozen peanut butter sandwiches in the hot sun by the side of the road was not a food highlight! Thank goodness for Old Crow Medicine Show on the iPod - their upbeat music got us to Cooktown. We checked in to the van park and the lady in charge reminded me of what "Gone Troppo" really means! A few roos in the top paddock, let me tell you. After giving us a site, she then decided to shift us on to another, all the while berating us for not being here last night (we only booked today!), telling us all about the other Church who had checked in and describing every piece of her many layers of night attire.

Lachie had a nasty tumble out of the caravan and hit his head just as we were about to head into town for a look around. It was hard to tell if he had a head injury, or was just critically exhausted, so we had a worrying few hours!

There were squadrons of mossies - more than we've ever seen before. None on the waterfront though, where we had some hot chips while we watched the sunset and talked to some fishermen for some more tips. Got back to camp and had an early night!

Lighthouse on Grassy Hill

We continued our James Cook trail today visiting the James Cook Museum, which contains one of the jettisoned cannons and the anchor from the Endeavour. Ella discovered a children's novel about Pandora's cat which she just had to have! We spent ages there poring over the artefacts and stories surrounding the holing of the Endeavour on the reef at Cape Tribulation and their subsequent journey here up into the Endeavour River to patch the ship. We drove up to Grassy Hill for lunch, where the wind was strong enough to  blow a dog off the chain, and did blow the top pieces of our sandwiches away! The view up there was absolutely gorgeous. The lighthouse there was built in England and shipped over to Cooktown, a fact which bemused the kids. We took a quick detour to Finch Bay on the way back down to the jetty for the promised fishing excursion.

Yesterday was 4 weeks since we left home. We were all tired and scratchy, and for twenty cents I would have packed up and gone home last night. Fortunately today is another day and I am writing by the waterfront about 20 metres from where Captain Cook beached the holed Endeavour, the sun low on the horizon, the boys are fishing (with Tony, Charlie and Geoff, who are also here), Ella is here next to me reading "Pandora's Cat" and we have a bag of fresh prawns for dinner. Life is good!

Fishing on the jetty at Cooktown



A pause in our wandering along the waterfront


Although Cooktown is fantastic and we could all happily stay longer, tomorrow we plan to head Westward Ho!

Stay tuned ...

Expensive fun (and otherwise) in Cairns!

Waiting for the train at Freshwater Station

I am spending an inordinate amount of time in amenity blocks. Not in a George Michael way, you understand (sorry Gerry!), but because Ella has to go with someone, and that someone has to be me. However, occasionally it is worth it. On Saturday night, Ella spied a huge preying mantis above her on the ceiling of the loo. After an earsplitting shriek (for effect in the echoing block - she isn't scared of that much!) she said "Hey, Mum, that preying mantis is eyeing me down". I must admit I am also enjoying showering with her, as we wear our towels as "Cloaks of Invisibility" back to the van, and absolutely no-one can see us! Ella is also handy when I absent mindedly take a wrong turn and she says "MUM! That one is the Blokes!"

Our first foray into Cash Haemorrhage Territory was on Sunday morning as we drove to the Skyrail terminal, took a shuttle bus to the beautiful Freshwater Station and waited for the Kuranda Scenic Railway to arrive. We had a quick squizz through the little museum there, where the kids were amazed to learn that the men built the whole railway by hand. (With the assistance of some dynamite, which was not always judiciously used judging from the death toll.) And they had to supply their own picks and shovels to get the job! Construction of this ambitious railway project started in 1886. Up to 1500 men at a time endured terrible conditions as they perched on the edge of cliffs, swung from ropes hacking into the cliff face, toiled away in tunnels and bridged steep ravines. Some of the camps were precariously sited on cliff edges - and here whole families lived (or maybe existed is more apt) in the jungle! The 37 km of track ascends 327 metres and included 15 tunnels, 55 bridges and 98 curves! The budding engineer in the family thought all this tremendous and we now understand why Dave's dad Geoff enjoyed KSR so much when he visited. The train stopped at a veiwing platform so we all trooped out and duly admired Barron Falls. 

Barron Falls

We were also thankful we hadn't tried to walk there the afternoon before! The train then coasted along flat track to Kuranda, where we spent a lovely day wandering around the markets, listening to buskers and finding the rock and fossil museum to view the coprolites, recommended by Gonz. And yep, all the kids wanted to buy some fossilised dino poo! We also found the Kuranda Candy Kitchen, so of course had to watch them make their wares, tried some and bought some. We headed for home via the Skyrail, which is a 7.5 km cableway journey through World Heritage Listed Rainforest. The kids assured us it was spectacular - both Dave and I had our eyes closed a few times! We stopped twice on the way down, and met an ex-NZer at Red Peak Station who was our Ranger on a guided walk. He was incredibly enthusiastic and although it was raining we stayed with him for the whole 20 minutes. Got back to camp and the kids had a swim in the pool, practising their snorkelling for our Reef Trip on Wednesday.



 We booked in to get new car tyres on Monday, something we were expecting with the Blunderbuss for a change. Last week the kids were crying "Suckers" as we passed schools, but now this has faded to a more empathetic "Poor kids" as we passed by on our way to Beaurepaires! We were going to walk around the city, but the mechanics assured us the tyres would only take 45 minutes, and when they invited the kids to have hot chocolates, biscuits and sit in the airconditioned viewing bay, the deal was sealed. We proceeded to eat into their profits (literally) while the kids had a lesson in tyre changing and wheel alignment. It never ceases to amaze me how interested they are in things they have never seen before!  True to their word (or perhaps more than a little alarmed at the rapid rate of biscuit disappearance) we got moving in 45 minutes and went swimming at the Lagoon in town. It was 27 degrees, so all of us were glad to cool off. We got MORE groceries and Marcus was thrilled to spend his book voucher on a compendium of Gimlet books at QBD Books. (He won it in the Innovators of the Future challenge he attended just before we left.) We drove out to have a BBQ dinner at Trinity Beach where we shared the BBQ area with 2 cheeky Bush Stone-curlews, which Ella renamed the High Heel Birds. Marcus was reading his new book by torchlight all the way back to camp and thinks W.E. Johns is now his favourite author. Along with Jeff Kinney, and Jackie French, and J K Rowling and ...

No caption needed on this one!

Maths in the outdoor classroom!

Lachie & Marcus were on Tuesday morning dishes as punishment, as the accompanying photo will attest! Alas, another day misspent on the Blunderbuss. I took the bus in to get the front brakes machined which was only supposed to take a couple of hours, but it seems that Cairns Time and Turangi Time are rather similar! I ended up exploring Cairns by bus when I got sick of walking in the heat and got home late in the afternoon. At least the brakes worked and didn't shudder on the drive back to the van park. In camp fun included a couple of swims, some maths (Ella did 34 pages!), music lessons and reading. And more dishes, of course!

Franklin Island

Today, Wednesday, we took a shuttle bus to the Mulgrave River south of town to board a catamaran for a Reef Tour to Franklin Island. I'd like to report that we all had an absolutely fantastic time, as it has been one of the anticipated highlights of our journey, but that didn't quite pan out for all of us. The trouble started when our bus driver got lost looking for a late change of address with the last pickup. There were some wild U turns and lots of zooming through the winding and narrow streets which didn't make me feel all that chipper. Puddling down the Mulgrave River on the catamaran was fine and I started to feel better, enjoying all the prehistoric looking Tropical Rainforest, which we all agreed we should not be surprised to see a dinosaur poke his head through. Then we hit the open water. Dave and the kids really enjoyed the ride, but I found my way down to the back of the boat where movement was minimised. I made it to the island, but the swell of the boat as people unloaded into the runabout to get to the shore started making me seriously sick. I must have looked awful, as I got taken to the front of the queue for the second shore landing. After some water and a bit of ice, I felt up to snorkelling as that was first on the programme. We all listened to the Marine Biologist, then headed out to view the reef. Ella was a little scared, so Dave swam with her, but the boys were like ducks diving down to see as much as possible. I saw 2 fish and a clump of coral before the gentle swell of the water started to do me in, so I headed back to shore. Not fast enough. I don't know if anyone else has chundered into a snorkel, but I can tell you it is an experience I NEVER want to repeat. Dave wants to know if it came out the top of the snorkel. I am not sure, but I do know that I nearly drowned while struggling with a mask, snorkel, ill-fitting fins, deep water and puking all the while. I spent the rest of the day becoming intimately acquainted with 30 square centimetres of sand, face down in the hot sun, willing myself to die.



Slightly upright, feeling utterly awful
and dreading the return journey



They assure me that lunch was excellent. They tell me that the snorkelling was fantastic and the fish and coral lovely. Dave and the kids all had a wonderful time at Franklin Island. But all I could think about was the trip home. For the record, I threw up on the beach. I threw up on the runabout getting back to the catamaran. I threw up on the catamaran. Several times. I threw up all the ginger travelcalm tablets I was given. One of the crew helpfully told me that on rough crossings, everyone on board threw up. He hadn't seen anyone throw up on such a calm, beautiful day as this one, though. Made me feel heaps better!



Recently Mum and Dad took a flight from Brisbane to Birdsville and then on to see Lake Eyre filled for only the second time since the 1970s. Mum vomited her way around Qld and SA. I can sympathise even more now Mum!



Tomorrow we head out of Cash Haemorrhage Territory for a while (we hope!) to the Daintree and Cape Tribulation, where we have booked another beachfront site for a couple of nights. The kids left our hammer wherever they last cracked a coconut on Mission Beach, so perhaps the snack menu at Cape Tribulation will not include fresh coconut !

Stay tuned ...

PS I will edit this page and add some more photos when I am in more reliable Broadband territory. It is taking me 10 minutes to upload photos at the moment, and I REALLY need to lie down!

Townsville - Cairns

Despite the fact that we had to pack up the tent and a whole lot more, we departed Townsville at 8:29 a.m. on Wednesday, which is our record so far. Although the back brakes are now fine, we have to book another service in Cairns to fix the front brakes, which are worn (probably because we had no back brakes for 1500 kms) and need machining. Anyway, we were glad to be moving again, and decided to head for a camp spot on the beach about halfway between Townsville and Cairns.

Ella in a Grass Owl nest, with fluffy chicks.
A good news display for once!

We stopped in Ingham to visit the newly developed Wetlands Centre, TYTO, which is named after the Grass Owl. The wetlands project has been developing for 11 years, and the newly opened stage is the interpretive centre, which was excellent. While at the centre, we saw 2 Jabirus - impressive to say the least. They are enormous birds, standing 1.3m high with a 2.4m wingspan, and the colouration on their wings is very dramatic.

We noticed a not-so Agile Wallaby on the grounds, which we reported inside. Wildlife carers were rescuing him as we left, thinking he had been either hit by a car or bitten by a dog.

The not-so Agile Wallaby

As we drove towards Ingham, we noticed lots of damage from Cyclone Yasi. Huge plantation forests are completely wrecked with most of the large trees snapped off 3-4 metres above ground level. About half of the area's National Parks are closed due to damage as well. So we didn't get to visit some of the places we wanted to (including, sadly, Wallaman Falls), but we are already saying "next trip"!!

It was sobering to drive through Cardwell, the epicentre of the cyclone damage. One in three buildings still had tarpaulin roofs. The coast looks battered and bruised, but people are obviously getting on with their lives and tourism is picking up again.

We arrived at Mission Bay and found a camp spot directly on the waterfront. The kids were out of the van, cracking coconuts faster than you could say "Robinson Crusoe". They spent a fantastic few hours building huts along the beach with logs, palm fronds and storm debris. Jackson's was built around a Pandanus framework, and the kids found and erected a huge "totem pole" out the front. They then jumped around in the shallows until we called them in for bed about 9 p.m.

Sunrise at Mission Beach

We spent Thursday sightseeing, after I had another early morning taking sunrise photos. As we drove out of Mission Beach, we were all terribly excited to see a Southern Cassowary. They are critically endangered so we couldn't believe our luck. We spent the morning visiting Paronella Park, which has been recently voted Queensland's Number 1 Must Do. What an amazing place! Jose Paronella, an immigrant from Spain, virtually made the whole "amusement park" singlehandedly in the 1930s - including the installation of a hydro-electric system which brought electricity to his property and was the first one in Tropical Qld. Yasi's effects were evident here as well, with flooding levels still obvious from the mud up in the trees and damage to the buildings and picnic areas. We enjoyed the guided tour, and then had fun taking photos:

Platform above what was the kitchen
which served gelato to park visitors
in the 1930s

In the Kauri Grove

Mena Creek Falls and Hydro Station

The change rooms for swimming

We drove home via the Sugar Museum, which was a bit decrepit compared to some of the other fantastic displays we have seen. Still, the social history of the Kanakas was interesting although the virtual slave trade of this period is not a great part of our history.

We got back to camp in time for fishing, although I had to make dinner again! The rain which had been threatening all day started that night, so it was early to bed for all.

Robinson Crusoe and Friday

We awoke to a bleak and blustery morning, but nothing can put Lachie off fishing, so Dave, Marcus and Lach went off to Clump Jetty to try their luck. Jackson, Ella and I spent a couple of hours beachcombing and improving the hut. After lunch, all the boys went back fishing while Ella and I went rock-hopping, grocery shopping and made a pudding. The boys finally caught some fish - Lachie caught 3, and Dave caught 1 - very appropriately named "Grunters" (as they grunt when landed). Three dolphins cruised around them for half an hour while they were fishing, so they thought that was pretty cool. Marcus was looking through the hundreds of fish on the  identification chart, and chose a Sole as the fish he wanted to see. He was banging on about Dave catching a sole for an hour when Dave actually caught one! They arrived home very excited with the sole, but as dinner was ready it was consigned to the fridge for the next day. Meanwhile, our English neighbours in the next site were setting about having dinner and Amanda was bitten by a snake! Thankfully it turned out to be a green tree snake, but it gave all of us a start. The rain wasn't the only reason we ate inside! The ambulance departed as the pudding was ready, so we shared it with Mark, Amanda and their two girls.

Our second sighting of the Southern Cassowary!

This morning (Saturday) we had fish for breakfast and then broke camp to head for Cairns. As we left Mission Beach, we saw another Cassowary, and I managed to get the camera out in time for a quick shot! It was rainy and cold again, so we hightailed it to our camp site and were set up by about 2:30 p.m. The skies cleared so we went down to Lake Placid and the Barron Gorge National Park for a quick walk, before the kids had a swim (back in the van park pool, after reading all the crocodile warning signs!) to cool off. They are all asleep as I type, and we are enjoying power again as we catch up with Pete and Carey's blog (from their cycling tour of Nova Scotia and the East Coast of USA), our emails and comments on our blog. We have about 50 blog readers, and it is nice to hear from you! We are also enjoying following Dave and Mind's journeys through Kakadu, Arnhem Land and Uluru via texts when the Optus connections are present! We plan to spend the next four nights in Cairns, which will give us time to see some of the sights, including another Toyota Service Centre! Speaking of sights, Gonz, although we have seen Cassowaries, dolphins and wallabies, no Freshwater Lake Seals as yet!!

Stay tuned ...

a couple more days in Townsville ...

Since the Blunderbuss was still in quarantine, we had a few extra days in Townsville. Can't believe our luck at being stranded here - in a beautiful camp spot with lots to do and a huge Toyota Service Centre close by.

Sunrise over Kissing Point

I have been waking up early every morning, so on Sunday morning I got up and sneaked out of the camp site (although not quietly enough, as Lachie heard me and came too) to see the sun come up over the Kissing Point headland and the bay. Beautiful.

Getting some fishing tips from a local!

We packed our backpacks and struck out for the 6km walk into the city to the Flinders Street Markets and the Maritime Museum. The walk was almost entirely along the waterfront, which was gorgeous, and then up into the city. The markets were not what we expected and made us realise how good the Showground markets are at home. However, we grabbed some lunch and a cold drink there (where we lost Lachlan for a while as he took his lunch and walked off 180 degrees the wrong direction - must be related to Dave!) before walking another kilometre or so to the Maritime Museum. Along the way, to Lachlan's delight, we found The Sweatshop - the only shop in town to stock the Penny skateboards that he wanted for his birthday. The last part of the walk to the Museum was punctuated with "Mum, LOOK!" and "Watch this" and "I can do it!!" and a few "Aaagghhhhs" as well!

Ella found a tree at "Just my size"
She reminds us of Winnie the Pooh
on a regular basis!

We spent a few hours at the museum, fascinated by the story of the SS Yongala, which sank under mysterious circumstances in 1911, with the loss of all 122 on board. A racehorse was also drowned when the ship went down, a fact I tried to keep from Ella by standing strategically in front of the display, but her nose for animal tragedy sniffed out the story and you would have thought that Moonshine was her own horse!

We also watched a DVD presentation about the MV Krait, partly because it was so interesting and partly because it was so good to sit down!!  MV Krait was a Japanese made fishing boat, which was captured in WW2 and used to evacuate over 1000 people from ships sunk around Sumatra. It also famously transported members of Z Special Unit to Singapore in September 1943, where they successfully raided the city's harbour, sinking seven Japanese ships. The second similar mission was not so successful, with most of the men captured and beheaded, a term that had never crossed the kids vocabulary radar before. Ella stated that she would never, ever, ever want to be "Bigheaded"!

We then had the long, hot trek home so had to stop off at the Ice Cream Factory on the waterfront to sustain ourselves! We have finally solved the insomnia problem that has plagued Marcus for a year or more - huge amounts of physical activity. He is so tired at night that he falls asleep very quickly. One night, he fell asleep sitting on his stool in the middle of the caravan!

Marcus is more like a Maelstrom than a MasterChef,
but if he is outside, the mess is more easily dealt with.

The boys decided to cook up a feast for breakfast on Monday morning, so we ate the last of our supplies and walked down to go swimming at the Rock Pool while we were waiting for the garage to ring. There were some pretty amazing ships heading in to port - the biggest we've ever seen. The ships are no doubt involved in Exercise Talisman Sabre involving 22 000 Australian and US defence personnel. Late in the afternoon the garage rang and hadn't started on the van, so we booked yet another night here! Dave took Lachlan fishing while we made Lachie's birthday cake and wrapped up his presents. We had absolutely nothing left in the fridge or the pantry, so Ella, Marcus and I went for another 1km walk to get fish and chips. Guilt free eating, after all that walking!

Thanks for the loan of the book Joel!

Happy 10th Lachlan!

Today, Tuesday 12th, is Lachie's birthday. We started the morning with birthday breakfast cereal and toast, then Lachie and Jackson went off skateboarding while I did the washing. Ella was very excited to finish Harry Potter and the Poisoner of Uzbekestan. At home this would mean she could watch the movie, but since that is not an option here, she contented herself with humming the filmscore over ... and over ... and over! The Toyota garage finally rang at 11 a.m. and said the van was ready, so Dave and Lachie headed off in a taxi to get it. Hooray! With our transport back we made a dash to the grocery store before scurvy set in. Jackson has also been champing at the bit to buy a Ripstik so we got that as well. After driving back to camp, we enjoyed Lachie's cake, while Jackson bled from his many skateboard injuries. (He said I had to point out the injuries were not from his new Ripstik but from Lachie's skateboard!) Reason number 26 to get the caravan level is to ensure the birthday cake doesn't measure 1 cm at one side and 6 cms on the other! However, that didn't affect the taste and it disappeared pretty quickly!

A Happy Birthday Boy!

But I have to say, THE MOST EXCITING thing that happened today was that Dave finally consented to buy a Manbag! I can finally have my spine realigned as I don't have to carry all his heavy crap anymore! We all don't have to participate in family treasure hunts looking for sunglasses (often found on Dave's head!), iPods, wallets, contact lens cases, glasses ... before we can go anywhere. Gonz, you'll be so pleased that he has finally followed your brave fashion lead! The final straw was at the Rockpool the other day, when Dave sat on his glasses and broke them. The tantrum that followed turned the air blue, filled Ella's swear jar and made the lifeguards grab their lifebuoys and look concerned! The boys were disgusted and walked ahead of us at the shopping centre when he put it on, but Dave is happily finding "homes" for everything in his Manbag as I type! He even consented to a Manbag Fashion Shoot for the blog!

Now, where are my sunglasses?

The kids are playing knucklebones, Dave is playing his guitar and Jackson is moaning about his injuries, so it is just another night in paradise!

Off tomorrow towards Cairns.

Stay tuned ...

a couple of days in Townsville ...

After arriving at Rowes Bay, we took the time to set up the tent on Wednesday evening since we were staying for a couple of days. It is much more comfortable when we can spread out a bit. (And separate the children, when necessary!)

Mutineers trying to escape Pandora's Box
as HMS Pandora was sinking. Ella thought
this exhibit a bit rude!

On Thursday morning we drove into the city (mercifully without the caravan, dodgy directions, poor rear vision and accompanying blue language!) intending to visit the Maritime Museum, but we saw the Museum of Tropical Queensland first, so in we went. The main exhibit focussed on the sailing ship HMS Pandora, which was wrecked on the reef in 1791. It was despatched from England to capture and return the mutineers from the HMS Bounty. Captain Edwards captured 14 men who had returned to Tahiti, but didn't discover Fletcher Christian and his colony on Pitcairn Island. The men were imprisoned on a roughly constructed hold on deck, which came to be known as "Pandora's Box". Three mutineers were trapped in the hold and drowned, along with 30 sailors when the ship went down.  A 1:24 scale model (which had taken 7000 hours to build) captured the boys' interest, but Ella was disturbed to learn that there had been a cat on board. She was terribly relieved to find that it had been rescued and made it in the longboat to Timor!  

Ella patting the rescued ship's cat!






Dave had a teaching moment with the out-of-control kids in a holiday club who were visiting the museum. One kid started trying to kick his way into Captain Edward's cabin, but soon stopped when Captain Church threatened to keel-haul him.

There were a Canadian couple who were volunteers at the museum from the dinosaur dig at Richmond. They had a tray of fossils for children to choose one to take home. Jackson and Marcus spent ages talking to them, and Marcus was presented with a fish vertebrae which is 100 million years old. He is thrilled, of course, and has spent hours scratching away the dirt from around the outside of it.

It was really hot, so we decided to take the kids to the waterpark on The Strand for a picnic lunch. The waterfront is still being reconstructed after the damage caused by Cylone Yasi. They had a ball there, and managed to cool down successfully!



Magnetic Island from Castle Hill

 Castle Hill, which dominates the city skyline, beckoned us next, so we chugged up the steep road to the top. Absolutely fabulous 360 degree views of the city and the coastline. After exploring all the summit lookouts, we drove back to Queens Gardens, which we spotted from Castle Hill. A hedge maze kept the kids occupied while we had a much needed coffee! After another evening walk along the waterfront at Rowes Bay, we were all exhausted and glad to get back to the van.



Castle Hill from Queens Gardens


Mundane duties called on Friday morning, so it was a while before we got going to Reef HQ, the National Education centre for the Great Barrier Reef. This aquarium is filled with coral exhibits and many tropical fish, most of which have hilarious names. Marcus couldn't contain himself, and wandered around with a notepad jotting down the ones which amused him. His list contains such beauties as "the Onefin Flashlightfish, the Upside Down Jellyfish, Pacific Double-Saddle Butterflyfish, and the Humpnose Unicorn Fish". We spent a couple of hours enjoying the aquarium (Dave and I found it remarkably relaxing - but then, we were comparing it to the school of fish we are travelling with!) then went to the waterpark for a quick dip. Lachie and Ella got in, but it was cold and so we didn't stay long.




Fighting hit fever pitch on Friday afternoon as the kids were all exhausted and there were some less than idle threats about returning home. Don't think this is all beer and skittles! In fact, there has been no beer; and had we a set of skittles, I couldn't vouch for it still being complete as some may have been inserted where they were not designed to go!

We were tempted to let the fish have them!

Driving back from the Reef HQ, the kids heard some strange noises in the van, which we diagnosed as the brakes. We were expecting to get them done in Cairns, so we booked it in to the local garage for a brake reconstruction. Luckily we could extend our stay in the van park.

Dave drove the Blunderbuss to the garage this morning, so the boys got organised to go fishing. They came back rather quickly, with Lachlan looking like a thundercloud, as it was low tide and the vast mangrove mudflats made fishing impossible. Lachlan's comment of the day was "Low tide is just STUPID!" Dave said he'd have a word with the moon for him! Uncle Peep, you've got a fisherman in the family!

Walking back from the Rock Pool

Sans vehicle, the best option seemed to be walking a couple of kilometres to the Rock Pool for a swim. It is a huge pool filled with filtered sea water, and we spent a lovely few hours there. While there, we heard from the garage. Bad news. Someone has removed the brake pins and they are missing (goodness knows how, we had it serviced just before we left) and the Blunderbuss is in quarantine until they can be replaced. The mechanic said he's never seen them missing before, and will search for some new (old) ones in the wreckers yards on Monday. Failing that, they might have to be ordered from Japan ... looks like we are in for another few days in Townsville! There are far worse places to be stuck and we are really lucky nothing awful happened as we were driving here.

The boys are off fishing again as I write, but I think I'd better get some dinner organised!

Stay tuned ...