Day 63

DAY 63 – Friday

We had a bit of a sleep in and then got organised to go to the beach.  Horseshoe Bay was the choice again and when we arrived it was lovely and sunny.  Darren and I found a good place to laze in the sun while the boys hit the water.  The boys messed around throwing the ball to each other, and trying to catch the occasional wave. 

After half an hour or so we were keen for a swim and made our way into the water.  It was quite calm and we waded slowly in.  There were quite a few of the “grey nomads” in the water also, and it looked like a scene from the film “Cocoon”.

At lunch time we went to the local pie shop and headed back to the van.  After lunch we went across the road to a little fruit and vegetable stand and stocked up on some fresh food.   Darren and I had an afternoon sleep while the boys kept themselves amused doing their journals and swimming in the pool. 

Sunset whilst fishing

When we woke up, Darren had a swim with the boys before setting up their rods to go fishing.  They went fishing at Greys Bay.  I had some time to myself so I cleaned up the van, then relaxed a little before preparing tea.  As soon as tea was finished, Thomas put himself to bed (he must have been tired)and we watched tv for a while.

Day 62

Day 62 Thursday

When we woke up, Darren went down the street to swap over the gas bottle while I started to pack the van.  Thomas had wanted to hire a pedal car to drive around the park since we had got there, so this was his chance.  We signed the form at the office and he was off and racing around the park.  Before long, Mitch saw how much fun he was having and was off to hire one of his own.  When the van was ready to go, the boys put back the pedal cars and we were on our way.

We arrived at Bowen at lunchtime, and called in to the Tourist Information that was located at the big Mango.  It didn’t take long for the guy to talk us in to staying at Bowen for a couple of days, so we found a park and set up the van. 

After having some lunch we grabbed our bathers and snorkelling gear and headed for Horseshoe Bay (the tourist info guy had told us that there was some coral that was accessible from the beach).  As soon as we got there we hit the water and headed for the coral.  Unfortunately the water was a bit choppy, and this made it not very clear for snorkelling, so we just swam around for a while.

There was a rocky area along the side of the beach that reached out to the point.  We decided to go for a walk over the rocks and admire the view from the point.  The rock pools on the rocks were full of white salt where the water had evaporated in the sun.  Maybe the water here has a higher concentration of salt....This would explain why they have a salt plant in the town.

When we left Horseshoe Bay we went for a drive to see all of the other beaches in the area, as well as the Esplanade (which has no beach, just mud flats), and then back to the van for tea.  We decided to watch the movie Australia, because it was filmed in Bowen.

Day 61

Day 61 Wednesday Today we headed into Town to have a look at Reef HQ which is the Townsville aquarium. It has a natural Coral reef and a walk through underwater viewing area. Here we saw hundreds of different fish species that are found on the Great Barrier Reef, we even saw 100’s of “Nemo’s” and “Dory’s”  along with Sharks and Big Maori Wrasse. We listened to a talk all about dangerous marine creatures which would have been handy about a month ago for Mitch! But never the less it was very interesting especially about all the different kinds of Stingers there are.

After that talk we went and learnt all about the Turtle Rescue Hospital. It is at Reef HQ where they rescue sick turtles and nurse them back to health and then release them back into the wild. We bought a couple of souvenirs before heading back to the car. On the way back to the Van we stopped at a supermarket for supplies and as we went in Darren picked up a Basket and in the bottom of it was someone’s iPhone 4. He dialled the last called number and found out who the owner was and they arranged for her to come to the supermarket and pick it up. We waited for about ½ an hour before she arrived but she was happy to get it back. Back to the van to drop off  the groceries and have a rest. Later that afternoon we had arranged to meet an old friend of Darren’s who now lives in Townsville, Debra Price. We went around to their place around 5.30 for drinks where we met her husband Chris and their son Beau who is a little bit older then Mitch. Beau being the typical teenager has a Playstation 3 and a Xbox 360 so our 2 boys then disappeared for the next 4 hours leaving the adults in peace to drink and chat. About 8.30 Deb came out with a big pot of Pasta for tea that we demolished and washed down with a few more drinks before heading back to the van about 10.30.

Day 60

DAY 60 – Tuesday

We got up early and headed into Townsville, booking in at the Big 4 Walkabout Palms.    We set up and then headed to Anaconda to check out the wetsuits.  Darren and Mitch both found wetsuits that fitted, and we bought a new chair for Darren for Fathers’ Day.  The boys both had a go at the climbing wall and Thomas once again conquered the wall.  Mitch made it to the top of the one that he was attempting and was pretty pleased with himself.  Then we went back to the caravan for lunch.

After lunch we decided to explore Townsville.  We drove into the Esplanade and stopped at the man-made swimming lagoon where we dipped our toes and the boys had a few goes on the flying fox,

View of Magnetic Island from Castle hill

back in the car we then drove up to Castle hill where we were amazed at the amount of people that were walking or running up the very steep 3km road. Once at the top there were 4 or more short walking tracks to different lookout points where a lot of these fitness freaks were doing stride throughs up the steps, sit-ups or some type of exercise. It made us puffed just watching them! We took in the scenery from these vantage points as well as a few pics. We then drove back to the esplanade and stopped at the tourist info to get some ideas for the next day or 2 from there we went to the local fishing tackle shop to enquire about charters and some local land based spots, leaving with plenty of ideas we then headed to the van via the supermarket and had tea then off to bed.

Day 59

DAY 59 – Monday

We got on the road reasonably early and stopped at Cardwell for fuel, before continuing on to Ingham.  We stopped at Maccas for lunch, where we read a local tourist board.  The board showed some really nice pictures of the local area, and we decided to drive back to the Lucinda turnoff and head to Lucinda for a look.

First stop in Lucinda was the boat ramp, where there were many boats moored in a picturesque little inlet.  We walked out onto one of the pontoons and watched a man netting for prawns.  He wasn’t catching many, and soon gave up.  After a quick look around, we got back in the car and headed around to the main part of town.

We stopped at the beach area and wandered down onto the sand.  Mitchell and Thomas decided to play at the playground while we walked along the beach.  There is a jetty out into the water from the nearby sugar mill that is reported to be 7.5km long.  We walked out to the point and were amazed to see the sand flats that were left when the tide is out.  We also noticed that the sand seemed to have real gold flecks through it, and theses flecks were suspended in the water giving it a lovely golden glow.

When we got back to the playground the boys had been playing around on a spinning toy.  Darren had a go, and then the boys each had another go.  Thomas was first to start feeling ill and it wasn’t long before he was sitting on the ground looking rather green.

Thomas after the spinning toy having a chuck ...LOL

On the way out of Lucinda we stopped at a little seafood shop and Darren brought some prawns.  Then we went to Taylors beach for a look.  There were quite a few people fishing along the beach when we pulled up, so the boys headed down to see what was being caught.  Almost immediately a lady caught a fish and reeled it in.  It was a Long-tom, and we were amazed to see its long nose and hundreds of sharp teeth.  She wrapped it in a cloth to remove the hook, and threw it back.

We drove past the cemetery for a look and had to wait for a cane train that was criss-crossing the road we were on.  Suddenly Darren stopped the car saying that something had fallen off onto the road.  He turned the car around and we realised that he had put the box containing all our bathers and beach towels on the roof at Lucinda and had forgotten about it.  The box had blown off and all of our stuff was strewn along the road.  I ran along the road picking it all up, much to the amusement of the other people using the road.

We headed to Saunders Beach to a free camp for the night, only to find that the camping area was limited and there was no room for us.  After referring to Camps 6 we decided to go back a couple of kms to a camp called Bluewater and try our luck there.  We drove in and found a place where we could squeeze in a small gap between two vans, only to be told by one of the van owners that they were moving anyway.  He pulled his van out and we pulled in.

 

Bluewater was a great place where you were limited to a 24 hour stay.  There was a great lawn area with a playground on one side, with a toilet block.  Behind us there was a sports field.  We talked to the people camped around us and had pita bread pizzas for tea.  A kookaburra came down to explore the campsite while we were sitting there.  That night when the boys got in their swags they saw about 30 wallabies congregating on the sports oval near them.

Day 58

DAY 58 – Sunday

After breakfast we packed our lunch and headed towards Tully.  We decided to go through to Murray Falls first, and then come back to Tully for the sugar mill tour.  At the falls, there was a lovely little campsite, with both a day use and an overnight use area.  We parked the car and made our way along a wooden boardwalk to the viewing area for the falls.  Once again, the falls were beautiful, with water flowing over the lovely small rocks into the pool below.  The water then flowed under and over rocks and down a small creek.  We took some photos, got back in the car, and headed back to Tully.

At Tully, we called into the Tourist Information and paid for our tour.  We found a nice little picnic area where we ate our lunch.  While we were eating our lunch, we noticed that there was a lady sitting at one of the other tables, and she obviously had all of her belongings packed around and under the table.  She told us of a few places to see around Tully, and then proceeded to tell us that she left her husband yesterday, and was waiting for a friend to pick her up. (The next day when we were heading to Townsville, we saw that she was still there!). 

After lunch we headed to the Tully Sugar Mill for our tour.  We waited in a little room for everyone to arrive, and then we had our safety brief.  Next, it was into a side room to get our hard hats and ear plugs, and then off to the mill.

Our first stop was one of the cane trains, which we had seen carrying harvested cane around the countryside.  There was a man taking the pins out from between the carriages, and a machine would pick up the carriage and turn it upside down to empty the sugar cane onto a large conveyer belt.  The conveyer belt took the cane to the crusher and then into the mill.

The rest of the tour showed us all the stages of the processing from cane to sugar.  The mill uses the-by products of the process.  The mulch is sent back to the farms, and the rubbish is burnt to create power that runs the mill.  They also put some power back into the grid.  At the end we all received a sample bag of raw sugar to take home.

When we left the mill, we headed to a local swimming hole called Alligators Nest.  It was a lovely lawn area with public barbecues, and a swimming hole in the local creek.  There were platforms with steps leading down into the creek.  Mitchell and Thomas put on their bathers and raced to the water.  The water was icy cold and after a quick dip they soon got out, and we headed back to camp.

On the way home, we called into Murdering Point Winery and did some tasting.  They had some really nice wines that were made from different fruit such as mango, passionfruit, pineapple, chocolate pudding fruit, and ginger.  We bought some wine, some port, and some liquor crème.

Then we went back to camp, where Mitch decided that he wanted to swim in the ocean.  Darren and I took our chairs down to the beach to watch, and Thomas decided that he would swim too.  Once they had enough, they headed for the shower, while we went back to the caravan to put tea on.

Day 57

DAY 57 – Saturday

We had breakfast and then headed to the Sugar Museum.  We were not sure if it was the right place to see the manufacture of sugar, so we talked to the guy on the desk.  He was very helpful and said that the museum wouldn’t show us the actual process, but there was a Sugar Mill tour in Tully.  He rang the Tourist Information in Tully and was able to book us into a tour for Sunday.

We then headed for Mission Beach.  We found a park on the beach front and went for a walk along the beach.  The beach was beautiful, with a view of Dunk Island.  Mitchell and Thomas ran along the edge of the water and played in the sand.  They wanted to go for a swim, but we decided to leave the swim until later.  We all got back into the car and drove around to look at the other beaches, and then headed to Tully for lunch.

When we got to Tully, we couldn’t find anywhere to buy lunch, so we went to the supermarket and got some pizza rolls and Danish pastries.  We went to the Tourist Information to eat, and looked at what there was to do in Tully and the surrounding area.

After lunch we headed back to Kurrimine, where we watched the boys have a swim at the beach.  After their swim, they went to play at the playground while Darren and I went for a walk along the beach.  We had roast lamb for tea, and then watched “Wild Hogs” on tv.  The boys completed some of their journal before going to bed.

Day 56

DAY 56 – Friday

We left the caravan park reasonably early and went straight to the car wash so that Darren could wash the awning.  While we were doing that, the boys went and bought a fruit juice each from a nearby supermarket.  Then we left Cairns and headed south.  We went through Innisfail and drove to Paronella Park.  We called in to see what it was, and found that you would need a full day to see it properly.  They didn’t have any caravan sites left (which came with your admission), so we decided to give it a miss.  We found a caravan park in the accommodation guide that was at Kurrimine Beach, so we decided to head there.

Once we set up and had lunch, we decided to drive back to Innisfail to have a look around, and do some food shopping.  We found the supermarket and got what we needed and then drove along the waterfront.  On the way home, we went past a Sugar Museum, and decided to visit it the next day to learn about how sugarcane became sugar. 

Once back at camp, Mitchell and Thomas went to the playground until dinner was ready.  Hawthorn was playing Carlton on the tv, so we watched that and then went to bed.

Day 55

Day 55 Thursday 18^th of August

Up bright and early today in preparation for our trip out to the Great Barrier Reef!  Showered, Brekky and in the car by 6.45 as we had to check in by 7.30. It was a bit of a trip into town and then a walk to the Reef Terminal to get checked in. We then went and boarded the boat and were greeted by all the crew. We started with a quick coffee, and then had to fill out all the disclaimer paperwork (which reeeeally makes you feel safe! Especially after the horror stories of people being left out on the reef etc.) It didn’t take long to be made feel comfortable as the crew went through the safety brief and a rundown of what sort of a schedule we had for the day. Once we got going we settled in we went for a walk to check out the boat. During the intro talk, the crew had mentioned that we were welcome to annoy the Captain and pester him for a drive of the boat, so it was no surprise to find Thomas at the helm of the boat within minutes. Mitch and Darren had decided to do a SCUBA Dive so they had a dive briefing at 9.15 while Ange and Thomas got a rundown of the Snorkelling tips, tricks and rules.

We arrived at the first reef at just after 10am, quickly put on our gear and entered the water.  There was a slight swell, but nothing to worry about.  Immediately, we could see many different types and colours of coral.  We also saw a lot of different fish.  Thomas scooted off on his own and explored the reef quickly, then headed back to the boat for a rest.  We continued to explore, seeing sea cucumbers, a giant clam, and lots of fish of varying colours.  Then we headed back to the boat for lunch.

Darren and Mitch were in one of the last groups to do their SCUBA dive, so they headed off to put on their gear while I went to find Thomas.  He was in the main dining/seating area having lunch.  Unfortunately the swell was much more noticeable on board the boat and he was feeling a little green around the gills.  He had already been in the bathroom bringing up the bit of lunch he had eaten. I talked him in to going for a walk around the boat and getting some fresh air.  Then I looked around and noticed that he wasn’t he only one that was feeling a bit off.  There was about 6 or 7 people with their heads on the table that were looking green.  Dinner was being served, so I lined up to get mine.  Standing in line for about 20 minutes and I was soon feeling awful.  I grabbed some lunch thinking that if I ate I would feel better.  I took my plate out the front of the boat onto the sun deck and tried to eat.  The more I tried, the worse I felt, so I left the food and shut my eyes.  After a bit of a nap I was still feeling awful, but then the boats motors started up and the boat started to move.  This stopped the rocking that was making me feel sick, and I instantly started to feel better.  By that time Darren and Mitch were back from their dive and were having lunch.  Thomas was back in the Captains chair and in control of both the boat and his nausea.

We arrived at the second reef at around 1.30pm, and they were feeding the Maori Wrasse and other large fish off the back of the boat.  Thomas quickly put on his snorkelling gear and was first in the water.  He also got to touch “Wally” the Maori Wrasse.  Then we all followed him into the water and set off to explore the reef. 

The second reef was much prettier than the first and it wasn’t long before we saw a turtle.  We gave the turtle signal to the people on the boat and they told everyone else that it was there.  The snorkelling guides pulled around an orange life-ring that you could grab onto or follow them around.  They picked up a few things that we could touch before putting them back where they came from.  We touched a sea cucumber, some mushroom coral, and there was also a giant clam.  We saw a stingray resting in the sand at the bottom, as well as many different varieties of fish.  After a while, Mitch decided that he wanted to do another SCUBA dive, and talked Darren into going with him.  We headed back to the boat so that they could book it, and also for a rest. 

Thomas took this opportunity to have a ride in the glass-bottomed boat.  After a bit of a rest, it was time for Mitch and Darren to put on their SCUBA gear.  I went and found Thomas (with the Captain of course!) and talked him into going back into the water with me for our last snorkelling before we left the reef.  Darren and Mitch had just got in the water, so Thomas and I followed them on the top of the water.  Thomas got so caught up in what the divers were doing, that he swam out of the area where the snorkelers were allowed.  The whistle blew and the guide on board signalled for us to move back into the “snorkelling area”.  Thomas and I explored the reef a bit more before heading back to the boat.  Off the back of the boat, they were throwing the left over prawns and bread out for the fish.  This was an amazing feeling as the fish rushed up to you to grab the food.  We then had to get back on the boat as it was time to leave.  Thomas and I dried off and headed to our sets in the main cabin.  It wasn’t long before Darren and Mitch had finished their dive and were back with us. 

On the way back to shore, we enjoyed a glass of wine, some fresh fruit, and some cheese and biscuits.  Elvis, one of the staff, put on a floorshow with his guitar, using a bit of comedy and some well known songs to get the crowd involved.  The photographer had a display of the photos he had taken on the reef and we selected the ones that had us in them, and ordered a disk.  Once back at Reef Terminal, we thanked the staff, collected our disk of photos and headed back to the car.

Once back at camp we all had showers, and the boys played rugby with some kids that lived in the park.  After tea we were all tired and went to bed early.

Day 54

Day 54 Wednesday 17^th of August First up today we went and booked a Great Barrier Reef trip before setting off up along the coast towards Port Douglas. We decided to go to the last spot then work our way back towards Cairns. First up was Rex’s Lookout which gave us a look back down along the coast, it is also where a Tandem Hang Gliding company sometimes launch from.

Rex's Lookout

Next up was Ellis Beach a lovely long white sandy beach that was very picturesque but not an ideal swimming beach due to no Anti Stinger net and Crocs. We have had our fair share of close shaves this trip (well Mitch has anyway) so we went for a walk instead. As we got closer to the Palm cove end of Ellis beach we looked up to see a man Strutting along starkers!!!! And the further we walked the more nudies appeared. So about turn and back to the car we head, much to Darren’s disappointment there were no Women to be seen....... 

Once back in the car we drove to Palm Cove and had a look at all the posh abodes of the Rich and Shameless. We went to the beach there and had some lunch and a swim.  Back in the car again to check out the remaining beaches of Clifton, Kewarra, Trinity, and then Yorkeys Knob. Back in Cairns we went looking to get some wet suits for the reef, first stop was Rays Outdoors then BCF with no luck at either place so we headed into the Esplanade so the kids could have a swim at the lagoon. Back to the van for tea and bed.

Day 53

DAY 53 – Tuesday

The boys were up early, pestering Rich for more pig shooting stories, while we slept in.  When we got up, we had breakfast and packed the van before saying goodbye and getting back on the road.

We made a quick stop at Mareeba to buy some supplies, and then headed across the mountains to Karumba.  When we got to Karumba, we found a place to park the car and van for the day, and then made some sandwiches for lunch.  Once we were organised, we bought our tickets and boarded Sky Rail.

We rode the cable car along the first leg of the journey, and were awestruck by the amazing view.  Down below us was the Barron River, weaving its way through the rainforest.  Our first stop was Barron Falls.  We got off the cable car and followed the path to the lookout points.  They both gave us a view of the falls, but we were a bit disappointed that the rainforest prevented us from having an uninterrupted view.  We took a couple of photos and then headed back to the station.  As part of the station, there was a Rainforest Information Centre.  We went in and looked at all the information and interactive exhibits about the flora and fauna of the rainforest.  We also watched a video about the rainforest. 

Barron Falls

We couldn’t find anywhere at this station to sit and have lunch, so we decided to head to the next stop.  The next stop was 15 minutes ride, so we ate our lunch along the way.  The ride to the next stop gave us an amazing view of Barron Falls.  It is a really spectacular falls, below a dam.  We admired the view as we rode to the next stop.

The next stop was called Red Peak.  When we got off the cable car, we saw a sign saying that the next ranger tour was in 5 minutes time.  We sat and had a drink while we waited for the ranger.

The ranger was a koori, who told us that he was a descendant of the tribe that lived in this area.  His tour was really interesting, showing us some of the bush tucker, and telling us how the aborigines used the plants in the area.  We saw a 400 year old Kauri Pine tree, the “wait-a-while” plant with its prickly spikes, and a stinging nettle bush that has berries which are used to take out the nettles if you get them in your skin.  He then tried to find a red bellied black snake for us to look at, but there were none around.  He said that some days there are about 12 of them sunning themselves around the station.  When the tour was over, we got back into the cable car and headed to the Cairns station.

The cable car went steeply up to the top of the final hill and then over the other side.  Here the view was once again amazing.  We could see the ocean, Green Island, and the city.  Once at Cairns station we got off the cable car and had a look around.  The boys watched a movie showing how they used helicopters to build Sky Rail.  Then we got back in the cable car, and headed back to Kuranda.

On the way back we didn’t stop at any of the stations, but just enjoyed the view from the cable car.  Thomas kept yelling out “hello” to every group of people that passed us going the other way.

Once we got back to Kuranda, we got back in the car and headed for Cairns.  We made our way through the traffic, and found the Cairns Villa & Caravan Park, and set up the van, while the boys had a swim in the pool.

We decided to have a look around Cairns, so we got back into the car and headed toward the water front.  We found a park on the Esplanade went for a walk around the swimming lagoon.  Cairns doesn’t actually have a “beach” area, as it is built on mudflats.  If you look out toward the ocean, the view is metres of mud with the ocean lapping at its fringe.

After looking around the lagoon, we crossed the Esplanade to have a look at the shops.  We found a tourist information centre and picked up some information on Great Barrier Reef tours to help us decide which one to book.  Then we went into the Night Markets and had a look around, before grabbing some pizzas and heading back to the van for tea. 

Day 52

Day 52 Monday
Arising about 7.30 we packed up and cleaned the beach house before setting off to hit the Bloomfield track. The Bloomfield track is a 4wd track that runs from Cooktown to Cape Tribulation via the Daintree forest. The track was dusty and bumpy for most of it but we were able to indulge in the beauty of the rainforest from the inside. Water crossings, steep winding roads leading to amazing views of the coast as well as the green canopy of the forest above.

Stopping at a beach along the way we met some travellers who were playing with a Hermit crab and we joined in the fun. After they had left we were just wandering the beach when Mitch called out that he had found a “cool Shell” but there was something still in it. Upon further investigation there was a slimy octopus type creature inside. I then went on to explain to Mitch that there could be any sort of dangerous creature inside and that he shouldn’t be touching it. With that a long tentacle type arm came out and was searching around the outer shell so he placed it on the ground and we watched the tentacle flick the sand and roll the shell over so that the opening was facing the ground. We watched it do this a few times before letting it go back in the water. (upon checking it out on the Internet back in Mt Molloy it turned out to be a Cone Shell, which is in the top 10 most dangerous marine creatures in the world! And the tentacle that was flying around is the stinger which has a highly venomous barb that there is no known anti venom for.) This stinger has the ability to reach any part of the outer shell so once again Mitch has escaped a potentially life threatening situation.

Cape Tribulation Beach

Playing with a Crab

Mitch's Cone Shell

From there we set off  to Cape Tribulation where we walked on the beach and then up to the lookout before continuing on.  Further along we stopped to see a Cassowary walking along the side of the road. There are less than 1200 of these left in Australia so this was a rare sighting. From there we pulled up at the Daintree river while we waited for the ferry to take us across. A quick ferry ride later has us back on the road again up to Daintree Village where we got the little gas cooker out and cooked up some snags for lunch. Darren and Mitchell once again put the rods in the water in hope of catching that elusive Barra or even a Sooty Grunter.

Fishing the Daintree River

Port Douglas was the next stop on our agenda where we had a swim at the beach.  We drove up to the lookout and admired the fantastic view before getting back in the car and heading back to the caravan at Mt Malloy.  On the way we stopped at another lookout to take some photos.

When we got back to Mt Malloy, Rich was home with Julia, Xavier and Dustin.  We had a drink with them before they went to put the boys to bed, and then made tea.  A few drinks and a chat after tea before hitting the sack.