Family Life, Geocaching, Holidays, QLD NT Trip 2017

Farewell Port Douglas …

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After 3 days of mixed weather and some rough seas it is time to head south but not that far, only 65 kilometres to Cairns. And at least for the first part of the day we had blue skies so at least we can have some good views of the coast as we travel along the Captain Cook Highway.

There is a lot of pull offs along this part of the road to allow slow vehicles to let the faster vehicles past. Even though we weren’t holding up the traffic with the Holden Colorado pulling the Thommo Taj, there just happened to be a series of geocaches hidden along the road in each of these pull offs, so I veered off just in case anyone wanted to overtake.

Nearing the end of the journey there is a lookout, Rex Lookout, that is used by hang gliders as a take off point but I think the wind was too strong for them today.

Even though it was only a short journey, it still seemed to take more than 2 hours. I wonder why that was.

We managed to get into our site early at Lake Placid Tourist Park and set up. My foot was still in intense pain from the gout, so I spent the rest of the day with my foot elevated to try and reduce the swelling, while Jenny and Rachael headed out for some retail therapy.

Tomorrow we head up into the mountains and the rainforest. Hopefully the weather remains at least a little sunny but I don’t think we will be that lucky.

Rock Cairns - Captain Cook Highway
Family Life, Holidays, QLD NT Trip 2017

Millions of years in the making …

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After yesterdays water based activities, it was time for some more terrestrial activities today. Although we did need to go on a ferry across the Daintree River but at least it was calm.

Just north of Port Douglas is the World Heritage listed Daintree Rain Forest and we spent the day exploring it. In order to access the forest you must get across the Daintree River, the Douglas Council runs a ferry service and unlike South Australia (where ferries are free) you have to pay the ferryman to get across. It is a large ferry that takes 27 cars so the wait is not that long.

As soon as you drive off the ferry you are encompassed by the rain forest but it is all an illusion as it is only road side remnant vegetation as there is farmland 100 metres in. The real rain forest is around 5 kilometres from the ferry and it is thick and lush and on cue, there was fog and misty rain. All that you expect from a rainforest.

Our first stop was the Daintree Discovery Centre which provides a huge amount of information on the rainforest, its species of plant and animals, the history of dinosaurs and even bush tucker. It is almost knowledge overload and takes a couple of hours with its aerial walkways through the mid forest height and the tower lookout at canopy height.

Time for some thing to eat and since we didn’t see any cassowaries, the next best thing is icecream from the Daintree Ice Cream Co. They do things a little differently with a tasting cup of 4 different flavours which are constantly changing on demand. Our flavours were Soursop, Jackfruit, Rasberry and Wattleseed. The icecream is made from fruits that are grown on the property. It was very tasty and worth making the stop.

Continuing north through the forest, we came upon Mason’s Cafe which offered a unique cuisine of road kill and local wildlife. Rachael went for the Roo Burger while Jenny and I went for the croc hot dogs. This was complemented with breadfruit wedges. Out the back of the cafe, there is a waterhole that you can swim in. Apparently it is crocodile free as they say all the crocs are in the burgers. We declined a swim but it was a picturesque spot.

Not much further on was Cape Tribulation, which was named by Captain Cook back in 1770 when he ran aground nearby. It was some nice beaches with the obligatory crocodile signs but none were spotted. There were enough tourists on the beach so you only needed to be able to outrun a couple of them. Not sure how I would go as the gout is still playing up but at least Jenny and Rachael would be safe.

That was the end of the bitumen but we continued up another 5 kilometres on the dirt as there was a geocache at a remote location I wanted to get. It involved a 500 metre walk through the rain forest then a 300 metre walk along the beach and then some rock scrambling. This should be great for the gout. 

Jenny and Rachael accompanied me but were ready to turn back when the crocodile signs appeared. I convinced them to continue and they picked up some sticks for protection. They just needed to outrun me which is not too hard at the moment. After finding the cache and not finding any crocodiles, it was back to the car and the hour journey to the ferry. 

Once again there wasn’t much of a queue for the ferry and we were soon back at the caravan park for the night. We even had some heavy rain before heading to bed but the temperatures were still warm.

Wongo Beach
Family Life, Holidays, QLD NT Trip 2017

Hang on and enjoy the ride …

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When Dan the Man, the bus driver from Meadows, tells you after just picking us up from the caravan park, that it is going to be a rough ride out to the reef and taking of medication is highly recommended, you go oh yea, just something to stir up the tourists.

It had been windy overnight and was overcast but it was 23C at 8am. On arriving at the Port Douglas Marina it was still out the channel to the ocean. Then every staff member on the boat Calypso 10 says it is going to be rough including the boat captain, maybe it is time to take notice. We took some quells so see if we need them and whether they work.

The boat wasn’t all that full with 32 passengers and 8 crew. Most of the passengers were College students from University of Florida on their summer break but doing studies in Australia for a month.

It wasn’t long and we were underway. As soon as we left the channel the boat hit a 3 metre swell and waves were breaking over the top of the 3 storey catermaran. The theme song of “Gilligan’s Island” came to mind. And we had an hour of this to get to the Great Barrier Reef.

A few got sick on the journey and we wont mention that Rachael filled a bag. A 25 knot south easterly was responsible for these very lumpy seas. Soon we were on the north side of the Opal Reef (part of the Great Barrier Reef) which was somewhat protected from the seas.

We stopped at three sites on Opal Reef with an hour at each site. It was hard work with a strong current from the South-Easterly. But did get to see plenty of fish of different types and colours, as well as different colour corals. Even managed to see a giant clam. It was a good day despite the weather but looks like we need to return when the weather is better.

The return journey was as exciting as the journey out with a 3 metre swell still and waves breaking over the top of the boat. It was certainly a relief to see the marina after an hour.

The rest of the night was recovery, after all, 3 hours in the water swimming against the current takes it out of you.

On board Calypso 10 to the Great Barrier Reef
Family Life, Holidays, QLD NT Trip 2017

There goes the neighbourhood …

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Todays travels take us from Townsville to Port Douglas with a stop on the way at Cairns Airport to pick up Rachael who is spending the week with us in Far North Queensland. 

We allowed plenty of time to make the journey leaving an hour earlier than we normally do but there was no accounting for roadwork delays and there were plenty.

There was also a couple of stops for big things today. First stop was at Frosty Mango with mango icecream to die for but very expensive and the second stop was the Golden Gumboot in Tully. The height of the gumboot represents the amount of rainfall that Tully receives each year. Across the road was a sugar refinery which has started strong with cane trains lining up to go in and drop their loads.

After encountering heavy rain around Innisfail, we drove into Cairns Airport about an hour later than expected. Of course, the airport is not large vehicle friendly but did manage to find Rachael and upset some taxi drivers at the same time. Lets say they know how to use their horns and mine works well too.

It is only 60 kilometres north to Port Douglas but the road is windy and hilly so takes a little longer than expected with the ThommoTaj in tow. 

Reminds you of Lethal Weapon
Holidays, QLD NT Trip 2017

Carn the Blues …

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Today was another travel day but the further we moved north, the more we saw the effects of Cyclone Debbie that came through back in March and April. The trees had been stripped of their leaves and the regrowth was going strong. A number of older buildings and signs were on the ground.

There was also signs of the mining boom at its end up north with a large number of wide loads carrying mining machinery heading south. I guess tourism is going to be the main drawcard for a lot of those towns now.

We did go in to Airlie Beach and once again the effect of Cyclone Debbie could be seen with broken signs and rooves covered in tarps. For a town that is named for a beach, the beach itself is not very big. I guess it is more a drop off point for the islands.

The big thing for the day was the Big Mango at Bowen, then it was on to Townsville. We arrived at dusk and went for a look up at Kissing Point Fort (a World War 2 em-battlement) for a sunset shot.

Tonight was the first of the State of Origin Rugby League series between Queensland and New South Wales. There was no way that we were going to miss out with the caravan park setting up a big screen and BBQ next to our site. So there was to nothing to do but join 100 of our newest friends and watch the game.

It was a good game even though NSW gave Queensland a hiding – most of the folk watching the game seemed to like the outcome. Just as the game finished, the rain came down.

6 metre wide load
Holidays, QLD NT Trip 2017

No lightning cracking in the cane fields today …

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Well the mozzies had not taken a holiday as they were as hungry as ever when we woke up at Capricorn Caves this morning. Luckily they had not found their way into the caravan although we did find a couple in there later in the day. There was a lot of slapping by all waiting to take the 9am tour into the caves but once we got underground there were no mozzies.

Even though the Capricorn Caves are limestone caves, they are dry caves due to a lot of air movement so there is a lack of the usual stalagmites and stalagmites. What they lack in features, they make up with history, stories and a cathedral cavern where operas are held.

Many years ago, a thriving guano industry was centred here due to the bat poo through the caves and we managed to see some bats on the ceilings and flying around during the tour. There were a lot of timber bridges and stairs to negotiate as well as a zig zag squeeze. A very different cave experience from your normal cave tour but still enjoyable.

A quick run to the car to avoid the mozzies and we headed north towards Mackay. Another good travel day with 27C but there was some patchy cloud cover. The countryside changed from the cattle grazing around Rockhampton to sugar cane fields as far as the eye could see when you got to Mackay.

Pulling into the caravan park at Mackay, we booked in at the same time as another South Australian couple with a Silverline Outback. After setting up, it was happy hour with Rob and Cheryl from the Barossa who have been on the road for a year. Good company but it all comes to an end on dusk when the bities start biting.

Capricorn Caves
Geocaching, Holidays, QLD NT Trip 2017

So who is the Birthday Boy …

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No way at getting away from my birthday even on the road. The Facebook feed went nuts with birthday greetings from friends so I was not going to forget it. Also I had a bout of gout so a painful reminder of getting older. Jenny surprised me with a prawn wrap for birthday lunch.

We farewelled Liz and Bruce and we were once again on the road again. Todays travels took us from Bundaberg to Rockhampton, well just north to Capricorn Caves. Another good day for travelling with blue skies and 27C.

Arriving around 4pm at Capricorn Caves, we were soon descended upon by mosquito’s which certainly put a damper on spending some time outside in the bushland setting. Apparently they only arrived a couple of days ago after some soaking rains.

 

Capricorn Caves
Geocaching, Holidays, QLD NT Trip 2017

No need to ward off the Southern chills today …

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Bundaberg is synonymous with Bundaberg Rum so what do you do when visiting Bundaberg, visit the Bundaberg Distillery, even if it is Sunday morning.

I had tried to book online for the tours last night with no success but found out today that it closes off 24 hours before the tour time. This was not an issue as there was not that many around on a Sunday morning so they were happy to take our money.

The tour starts by going through the museum showing the origins of the distillery and the process involved in making the iconic rum.

Following a bit of knowledge it is time to head into the distillery and the sights and mainly the smells of the distilling process.

They are fairly serious with regard to ignition sources. You are not allowed to take in cameras, phones, watches and even car keys. I guess after a couple of large fires in their history, it is understandable.

First stop on the tour is the molasses well which has some amazing amount of product stored. They have 3 large wells and need to store enough molasses for 12 months production even though they only get molasses from the sugar mill for 6 months of the year. The smell is overpowering and I can still smell it in my clothes now 12 hours later.

The tour then takes you through the various plants that distil the rum. There is not a lot to see here apart from vats, then it is into one of the Bond Stores where the barrels and wood vats store the rum while it matures.

The tour ends in the bar and shop where of course there is the opportunity to taste the finished product. Bundy Rum is just not rum anymore with a large amount of blended products now. I just had to try the most expensive bottle (sells for $180 a bottle) and it didn’t really rock my socks. Remember I am a bourbon and beer drinker. I was more partial to some of the blended rums but I will probably stick to bourbon.

After leaving the bar with a Bundy Buzz, it was time to head to the local park and meet up with the Bundaberg Geocachers for an event. Even though it wasn’t a huge event it was a fun way to fill in the afternoon and meet other cachers. We even all headed out to do an underground geocache.

Tonight we headed out again for a meal with Liz, Bruce, Graham and Cheryl, this time to a local Indian restaurant. The meal was really good even though we were the only ones dining in. They did do a lot of take away while we were eating.

We bid farewell to Graham and Cheryl and headed around town with Liz and Bruce to grab some caches before heading back to camp.

Tomorrow we continue north to Rockhampton.

Bundaberg Distillery
Geocaching, Holidays, QLD NT Trip 2017

That will fix it …

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At some ridiculously early time (it was probably around 7am) there was some little banging on the door. It seemed that Chloe and Amelia had woken the house so Ken thought it would be good to get the girls to wake up us as well.

First order of the day was to fix the bed. A trip up to Stratco and some steel hinges were purchased to replace the flimsy aluminium ones. A bit of drilling, pop riveting and screwing and we soon had a bed better than the bought one. It should last a bit longer than 2 years now.

We bid our farewells to all and we were soon on the road north, passing the Ettamogah Pub, missing the turn-off to the Big Pineapple (there were no signs) and finally stopping at the Ginger Factory and Nutworks in Yandina. Some sampling and purchases and we were on the road again.

It was good going while the Bruce Highway was still a dual carriageway but that soon ended and we were at the mercy of slow drivers. The was a bit of cat and mouse for a while with the carnival trucks coming out of Maryborough and heading into Bundaberg, each time I stopped for a geocache.

We arrived at the caravan park in daylight around 4pm and moved onto our riverside site next to cachers, Liz and Bruce. It wasn’t long and it was happy hour with Liz and Bruce arriving back at camp then Graham and Cheryl (some newby cachers but enthusiastic from the Sunshine Coast).

After getting the initiation of bitten by midgies (I am sure they know we are southerners), it was off to the Bundy RSL for dinner meeting up with some more cachers, John and Christine. With the 8 of us there, it was almost a mini event.

Tomorrow is a big day with the Bundaberg Distillery visit. Is 11am too early to be sampling Bundy Rum.

The Ginger Factory - Yandina
Geocaching, Holidays, QLD NT Trip 2017

It’s Island life …

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Another perfect start to the day with blue skies and temperatures warming. Kally and her two kids joined us for breakfast and we all chatted for the morning. A nice laid back welcome to Bribie Island.

Where to for lunch? Why the Sandstone Point Hotel of course with its overlook of the back channel between Bribie Island and the mainland. It is a very impressive complex with still a lot more work to be done over the next few years. The meals and atmosphere was great and soon a couple of hours had been gobbled up.

We enjoyed some seafood and sandwiches with appropriate beverages, before going on a tour of the Island checking out the canal suburbs and the beach on the eastern side at Woorim. There was even a car carrier heading through the channel towards the Port of Brisbane.

It was approaching afternoon smoko time so off to Scoopys for Icecream and coffee. You could definitely get used to this island life.

Julie and Jenny headed down to Brisbane to catch up with Jenna and to grab the grandkids for the night. The kids are apparently early risers so it looks like Jenny will be staying in the house tonight. Aunty Jenny will be in charge of the kids in the morning.

Thought I had better catch up with Liz and Bruce since we are staying with them at Maryborough tomorrow night. Lucky I did. They are up at Bundaberg for a Geocaching Event so I guess we will be heading through to Bundaberg now.

We were about to go to bed when one of the corners moved forward. That was strange. I check to see if there was an issue with the slide out motors but they were working OK. Then the whole bed launched forward. That was very strange. A quick check and the first movement was a bed hinge breaking and the second movement was the other 3 hinges opening up and letting go. The two lifting rams then pushed the bed forward.

On checking the hinges, they were only aluminium with little strength. After doing a quick fix it was off to bed. I will look at replacing the hinges in the morning.

Woorim Beach

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