29th May
Today after a quiet morning ,we drove up to Port Douglas for a look. We hadn't been there for a long time so it will be interesting to see if its changed much..
Its always a great trip up there driving right beside the water and the scenery is spectacular
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We found Port Douglas to be very quiet from the last time we were there,maybe a different time of the year,but there was a noticeable absence of Japanese tourists. Last time you couldn't move for them.
The Marina area was pretty scruffy and we counted 30 shops closed in the Marina shopping mall.
A lot of the berths in the Marina were empty also. The main Street seems to have a lot more shops which could be the reason the Marina is doing a starve.
 I wondered if I offered to swap the van for this I might get it.?

Maybe not,but there again I don't think the poor old Pajero would tow it!!
We did have lunch at The Hoggs Breath which had a nice view over the Marina.

From here we headed for 4 mile beach for a look. Pretty much as we remembered it but not many people out and about. We went for a walk up to the lookout and took a couple of photos.

On the way back to Cairns we stopped of at the look out. I cant remember who it was named after.  Its used for Hang Gliding a lot and with a good on shore wind blowing the conditions were ideal. Unfortunately there was only one in the air. Anyhow the view is great looking South towards Cairns.

We managed to get the hang glider touching down on the beach depositing its paying passenger back on solid ground in one piece probably much to her relief.

From here it was back to Cairns and an early night.

30th May.
Today was a day to go shopping and stock up with stuff we need for the next part of the Journey.
We will be away from the main centres for awhile so we stocked up on food and filled the car and container with fuel.
Tomorrow we head West and the weather forecast says rain again. The stuff is following us around.
Anyhow we are ready to go, rain or not so depending on reception the blog may be a bit slow to update.
Cheers for now.
Dave and Helen

27th May
Well we have had a change of plan! Instead of moving off on Friday, we decided that seeing the weather has cleared, we would stay a bit longer in Cairns; as there is a lot we haven't seen yet.
On Sat we headed up to Mareeba on the Tablelands to see one of Helen's Mothers old friends. She is 95 and still living alone so she is not doing too bad. Her Daughter in law Pam,came around for a Cuppa.

On the way home we stopped in at Karunda to have a look at the Barron Falls. With all the Rain we've had, we thought it would be pumping!
We weren't disappointed,it was roaring. The photo's don't do it justice. There was a fog of spray and you had to wait for it to clear to get a good photo,impressive.

This was the viewing platform at the Karunda Railway station,very impressive.
To get to the platform, you walk on an elevated walking track through the Rain forest. It was late in the day and it was getting dark so I couldn't get a good shot.

On the way out Helen nearly had a heart attack as she glanced to her right and saw this------

 A very realistic looking Snake, sitting on the railing. Just a replica but scary when you first glimpse it.
I didn't see it so if the Blog stops I've been zapped by a Snake I didn't see!!

Halfway down the hill is a lookout that has a panoramic view over Cairns and the Coast.

Sun 27th
Not a lot happened in the morning,though I did add a 12volt power outlet onto the Caravan.
In the afternoon we visited the Botanical Gardens. A nice Oasis in the middle of town with some interesting plants and trees on display.

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I found this attractive looking specimen standing under a big leaf looking coy.

A bunch of the old Venus Fly traps, doing their stuff. If you look close you can see a couple of flys in the one in the middle.

I will finish with this one as Helen was most impressed with the size of the thing and I was getting an inferiority complex just looking at it. Helen wanted to pluck it off and bring it back,but I dragged her away screaming.
 Of course its a native Banana plant, but you all knew that didn't you.
Cheers Dave and Helen

22nd May
 We did actually have a fine day, so we decided to go into town and have a look around the new fore shore. Its changed a lot since we were here (I keep saying that) but its true. The big pool wasn't there and the sea wall is new as well, new to us that is.

Saw this nice old couple standing by the pool so took a photo of them. They looked a bit lost!
There was one old derelict sitting on the sea wall looking lost, though I think he may have been checking out all the Backpackers by the pool!!

They have done a great job in this area and seems to attract all the young people around the pool area. Worth a look I say!


24th May
Though the weather looked threatening we decided to take a look at Palm Cove,North of Cairns and a bit of a Noosa type area. Very upmarket with lots of Resorts and shops. It has a very nice beach though.

A lot of the Beaches look the same up here, golden sand and grey skys!
Not long after this photo was taken it started to rain again and we had to make a mad dash to the car.
We both got wet!
On the way back we went into tha Barron Gorge for a look and once again it was raining, but at least the waterfall was going.

I must say that I felt a little nostalgic here, as it reminded me of the Southern Alps back in NZ. All that bush,running water and most of all the rain.

25th May
 Tomorrow we up sticks and head away from Cairns up to the Atherton tablelands to see one of Helens familys old friends at Mareeba, then its away West. For those of you who dont know where we are (us included) I will attatch a map of the area we are heading to. If you double click on the pictures they will get larger.

The road is the Savannah Way and it goes from Ravenshoe across to Normanton in the Gulf.
Here is a wider view with the route highlited.
Well thats it for now. We are all fuelled up,water tanks full and ready to go.
Cheers for now.
Dave and Helen

20th May.

A long drive from McKay got us to a little place called Cardwell, where we stopped for lunch right on the Beach overlooking Hinchenbrook Island.

 And the Island itself hiding in the cloud. It had been raining off and on all day.

 From here we travelled on and aimed for Saunders Beach. It was a 6km detour off the highway and we were a bit worried it might turn out like the last detour to Carmilla beach.
Saunders Beach is 20km North of Townsville and is a small beach side community and this time we were in luck as there was a spot for us, just!!

I had to be careful not to snore too much. The guys on either side were pretty good as they could have said to bugger off but they were happy for me to slot in as long as I didn't take out the awning.

Not much of a beach but the view back to Townsville and Magnetic Island was quite nice.

We left for Cairns the next day and arrived after an uneventful trip,though Cairns has changed a lot since we were last there.
Booked into the Cairns Sunland Leisure Park and set up the van and had a cup of tea.

 You know you are in the tropics when you have to negotiate Palm Trees to get into a site.
This is a nice quiet Park close to town, with a bus stop at the gate, so you don't have to take the car to town.
23rd May
Did a bit of shopping today and ended up at Trinity Beach to the North of Town.

We have stayed here before and nearly bought a Management right at the Marlin Gateway resort but I think the hot wet Summers put us off.
Well that's just about bought us up to date so until next time.
Cheers Dave and Helen.

18th May  We visited the Historical village in the afternoon for a look around and also to stretch our legs and clock up another 5 km walking. An interesting place but being a voluntary run project it was a bit tatty. Worth a look though.

I tried my hand at the Ministry thing but didn't think it was my thing. Didn't quite get the feel for it.

Don't think I looked the part either. Helen liked the ambiance of the miners cottage though thought it might be a bit cold in the Winter with all those gaps in the walls and floor.

 Anyhow we finished the tour with a Toasted Sandwich and a cup of Tea before walking back to the Van.

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Sat 19th
 We left early on our way North heading for Carmilla beach,which looked to be a good spot in the book, by the Beach. We stopped for lunch at Marlborough. then carried on to Carmilla beach.
 It was a 6km detour to the Beach and when we got there we found it pretty full and very sandy. We decided to carry on and finally made it to Mackay where we booked into a Caravan Park.
 Its nice to be on power again and to have a nice long shower and get the washing done.
We will travel on towards Cairns tomorrow and try to be there by the 21st as I have the car booked for some warranty work to be done on Friday.
Thats it for now.
Cheers Helen and Dave

17th May 

The last day at Inskip and the rains came and it got pretty wet. Some nice cloud formations though.

 Here is a bit of crap heading for Fraser Island. The rest hit us later. By this time we already had a fair dump, so we were out between showers stretching our legs. It gets a bit boring sitting in the van with the rain pouring down.

 

 It didnt stop the Fishermen though. Not that it made any difference,they still couldnt catch anything.
Didnt see a Fish landed the whole time we were there.

 We finally left Inskip after 8 days and a nice relaxing time, ready for our trip North. On Wed it rained all day and dumped 40mm on us. The only upside of this was I managed to collect 75litres of water off the awning roof to fill the tanks.
We headed up the Bruce Highway with the intent of getting to the Calliope River about 3pm but with the amount of roadworks and hold ups, we didnt get there until 4.45pm. We stopped in at the Boyne River rest area but it was pretty full so decided to carry on.

This is a lovely spot but you are only allowed to stay 48 hours at a time.

A nice view down the river from the old main road bridge. We are on the left bank behind the tree.

Here we are, taken from across the river, on our way to look at the Historical Village. By the time we got back there were a lot more Caravans around the area. They were still coming in after dark.
A very popular place but plenty of room for everyone to camp.
I will add the Historical Village tomorrow if I have reception.
Cheers Dave and Helen

Mon 14th 
I have better reception tonight so I will continue.
The trees are in full flower so we have birds during the day and Bats at night.

We try and get a good walk in every day to keep up the fitness,so we go down to where the Ferry goes across to Fraser Island. A walk of around 6 km on loose sand which feels more like 10km by the time we get back. This is one of the Ferry's that go across and if you talk nicely to the skipper he will take you across for nothing as long as you don't have a car.

Funny looking things but built for a purpose. They are double ended with ramps at both ends so it can just nose up to the beach and the 4+4s can just drive off and on. At the other side its the same with the vehicles always facing the right way. At $80.00 a round trip its a bit expensive but its the only way across.
Now with a bit of idle time on your hands it gives you time to think!!  At Inskip you don't have water on hand so you have to get it from Rainbow beach in 20liter containers, which you have to pour into the tanks of the Van. Now they are quite heavy so I realised (after 8 years,not slow this boy) I had a 12volt shower that had a submersible pump that fitted into the containers. Since I had fitted an external 12volt plug I tried it out with the pump with the shower head removed.

A bit hard to see but you get the general idea. Bloody marvelous should have thought of it years ago.
That's it for now, bored you enough for tonight I feel.
Cheers Dave and Helen

Sunday May 13th
Mothers day started bright and early as I was determined to get a photo of the sun rise out of the sea.
 I went down the beach and waited for the Sun to come up only to find a layer of cloud on the Horizon stopping me getting a good shot. Anyhow I got a couple then went back to bed to warm up as it was a cold breeze blowing down the beach.

Being Mothers Day I did the honours and made breakfast. Toad in the hole,Bacon and Coffee. A standard dish when we come here but tasty all the same.

At least Helen seemed to enjoy it. As an extra I made lunch as well. Pancakes which not very original
turned out OK and went down pretty well.
The trees by our caravan are out in full flower so we get flocks of Lorikeets during the day and the swish of  wings in the night as the Bats arrive.
The reception tonight is pretty bad so I will finish this and try again tomorrow night.
Cheers Dave and Helen

Friday 10th    

We moved spots the next day after arriving as a place over looking the water and Fraser Island became available. As we hadn't got fully setup so it didn't take long to move.

From the other direction.

All set up now and enjoying the view and the nice breeze, we get now. The camp is very quiet and the strange thing is, not many people arrived for the weekend, when normally its very busy. Makes for a more relaxed time. Had a go at fishing today (Sat) but like everybody else, got nothing. Not much caught since Easter apparently,very relaxing though.

Looking like that I probably scared the fish away.
When you are not doing much there is not a lot to report for the Blog, so I will leave it at that so as not to bore you to tears.

 Another great sunset tonight. Must try and get a sunrise to add to the blog as they can be quite spectacular as well.
 Mothers Day tomorrow so I suppose Breakfast in bed will be the order of the day. Have managed to Skype the kids from here so thats a bit of a bonus.
Well TaTa for now till next time.
Dave and Helen