Home again

Now safely home. However, the last week has seen unseasonal rain and wind. Good for sailing, bad for camping. The route home was via Undarra Lava tube, Charters Towers, Airlie Beach and Eungella National Park.

Undarra Volcanic Tubes.

Lava tubes were spectacular but unfortunately access is only permitted with a Savannah Guide; and we didn't apprecieate either the restriction nor the cost of using these guides.

Airlie Beach was the base for a couple of trips out to the Whitsundays. A days sailing on the Illusion was a great way to spend a day of 30 knot winds. The boys in particular enjoyed sitting on a steeply dipping bow. Madonna and Caroline tried an introductory scuba dive at Blue Pearl Bay where - even the snorkelling was better then the outer reef trips from Cairns.

Whitehaven Beach



Another successful road trip 6665km (1660 km per week) perhaps a few too many kilometres.  $380 per week fuel cost. Average nightly accomodation $35.

Near Chillagoe

The Savannah

The Gulflander

Innot Hot Springs

Stock Exchange Arcade, Charters Towers

Aye Karumba

Getting to Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria there is long kilometres of terrible roads with not much to see but another b&%$ historical mining town (ABHMT).

Once you get to Karumba there are only two things to do - the first is to watch the sunset over the sea and the second is to fish. And fish we did - queen fish, mackeral, sharks and barracuda. Worth every stone chip in the windscreen.

Sunset over the Gulf

Beautiful beach but no swimming again.

Liam and Queenie (95cm)



Caroline and (one of her) Queenies (108cm) (unvalidated)



David and Queenie (105cm)

Mackeral

We brought home 7 Mackeral and 1 Queenie.  David's one and my two Queenies were returned to swim another day. (Freezer size being the drawback). Don't be alarmed at the state of my Queenie. She did eventually start swimming after a couple of minutes back in the ocean.

Go Queenslanders!!!! We managed to squeeze into a little pub in Georgetown to watch the State of Origin.  It was a pretty rowdy night but very pleased to have won yet another series.  The only people who did not seem to watch the game were the Victorians.

The operative word being rain

Heading north from Cairns we stopped at Mossman Gorge enroute to the Wonga Beach Blues Festival for a chance to contemplate a career change.

Mossman Gorge

Debut performance, Wonga Beach

Before crossing the Daintree River into Cape Tribulation we met some locals. Cape Trib where 'rainforest meets reef'.

Daintree River Ferry

Thick rainforest (the operative word being rain), beautiful beaches and the Bloomfield Track into Cooktown.

Cassowary and speed bump themed grafitti

Bloomfield Falls

Bloomfield Track

Cook Monument, Cooktown



Black Mountain NP, outside Cooktown



Family Vacation II

We are now in Cairns having covered the 2000km up the east coast in a little over a week. An outer reef trip yesterday. David and Luke uber seasick but recovered well enough to enjoy the snorkelling. Highlights included seeing turtles and a shark whilst in the water.

Unbelievable number of beaches and coves on the way north. Some stops for us were Cape Hillsborough NP and Etty Bay with its resident cassowarys wandering along the beach.

Cape Hillsborough NP

A great vist to Paronella Park where the remains of mad (or at least eccentric) Jose Paronella's castle lies in ruins amongst the rain forest. Jose ballroom, cinema, gardens and ice-creamery powered by his personal hydro station long before any commercial electricity was available. We were able to camp in the park and explore the ruins and gardens at night.

Kauri Boulevard, Paronella Park

Josephine Falls

Another favourite was the Mamu walk on suspension bridges amongst the rainforest canopy and Josephine Falls where time and the flow of water has made a perfect natural waterslide where you can get up a good head of steam before plunging into the icy water.