Sunday, July 15, 2012

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

Friday, July 6, 2012

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.