The rest of the journey to Cairns!

I made the mistake of not posting anything from Cairns and we have been in radio silence (no internet access!) ever since but as I have a bit of time sitting here in an auto workshop on the tip of Australia (you’ll have to read on to find out what happened...), and internet access,here is a catch-up of the trip to date (apologies for the length and any typos in advance):

Before leaving Marlborough, we decided to patronise the Caltex as a thank you for the night’s free, albeit noisy, accommodation. We filled up with 150 litres of fuel at 10c a litre more than the next fuel stop along, and then also (predictably) decided to fill up with coffee to go. After forking out six dollars for two coffees, Jules was pointed in the direction of the kettle and jar of Nescafe in the corner... Might just pay for accommodation next time... And time to get over our coffee addiction for a few months. The espresso bars seem to have well and truly dried up.

We had a few days up our sleave to make it to Cairns and so decided to make the most of it and stop by a few National Parks along the way. First stop was Smalley’s Beach in the Cape Hillsborough NP, just north of Mackay and 297k’s above our previous nights stop. Beautiful bush camping spot right on the beach, marred only, in the opinion of the kids, by the fact that camp fires are not allowed (OK, I admit it, I might have been a bit disappointed too).

We still arrived late (too much messing around shopping centres in Mackay) but we did have time for a walk along the beach at sunset... Having previously mentioned to Jules that ‘we’re in croc country now’, I could see her tensing slightly each time one of the boys strayed close to the water’s edge.

Next up was Bowling Green Bay NP, 342k’s north. Another nice spot with wallabies and bush turkeys coming right up into camp. Still no campfires allowed, but this park did have cold showers and a toilet block and a great little swimming hole a short walk down the river. We couldn’t see any crocodile warning signs so decided it must be safe to go for a swim (croc always obey signs, right?). Unfortunately Jules and I had forgotten to bring our swimmers along, so we had to send the kids in alone... Two went in and two came back out again so it was all good.

237k’s north again was our last stop before Cairns; Murray River NP. Finally allowed to have a campfire (over which I expertly BBQ’ed some Tandoori Chicken...). Another great swimming hole nearby with some small rapids clearly designed for two kids and their slightly kid-like dad to spend some time sliding down. (Too shallow for crocs, I reasoned).

The next day, a short 173k’s, was the agreed date to meet up with the other three car loads that we were travelling up to Cape York with. We stayed at Crystal Cascades Holiday Park, which was just like it sounds, but served it’s purpose well: hot showers, washing machines and a chance to pick up last minute supplies (supermarket and bottle-shop close buy). That evening we also got the opportunity to test out the camper trailers waterproofness again, as a solid Queensland downpour sat over Cairns for most of the night. (Perhaps I can blame all the extra hassle involved in camping in the rain for not posting the above before leaving civilisation? Nice try?)

All in all, it was a good trip up from Sydney to Cairns. It was great to have the opportunity to take a bit of time to make the journey (a couple of the other vehicles we are travelling up the Cape with had to make the whole journey in 3 long days...) and by the time we reached Cairns I think we were settling nicely into a travelling groove – regular stops for fuel, coffee and food and a steady flow of 70’s and 80’s music for those in the front seats and an unhealthy diet of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle DVD’s for those in the back. (Still, the DVD’s certainly kept the ‘Are we there yet?’s’ to a minimum...)

Grafton – Brisbane – Lake Monduran - Marlborough

Haven’t written for a few days as I buried the power supply for the lap-top in the deepest recesses of the trailer and it has taken this long to retrieve it and charge up.

The drive from Grafton to Brisbane was pretty uneventful. We stopped at the Macadamia Castle for lunch and a decent cup of coffee and, yes, macadamia nuts before rolling into Brisbane at Jules’ Brother and sister-in-law’s place (another couple of nights not having to put the tent up) at around 4.30 in the afternoon. We haven’t seen them for a long time and it was good to catch up and meet our new nephew for the first time.

Grafton to Brisbane: 341km’s

The big event on Thursday was a trip to Australia Zoo. The kids had a ball and we followed the kids around.

We left Brisbane on Friday morning and stopped at the nice little town of Eumundi for coffee (not bad). The town itself is well known for its crafts and markets. Thought about buying some discounted hemp clothing but settled for organic sausages instead. Lunch was at another little town called Tiaro. The main event of this stop was when Daniel got repeatedly swooped on by a magpie in the park. I think he may have developed a life-long fear of the things now – he has been eyeing anything with wings with great suspicion and avoiding walking near trees ever since...

Friday night we camped (yes, actually camped) at a dam called Lake Monduran (on the A1 north west of Bundaberg). A nice enough spot and the opportunity to do some fishing in the morning.

Brisbane to Lake Monduran: 369km’s

This morning (Saturday) due to an extended bout of catching no fish whatsoever in Lake Monduran, we didn't leave until 11am. We stopped for lunch at a rest stop at Mount Larcom (very passable cappuccino and homemade apple pies from ‘Big Mamma’s’ - try them if you get the chance). We needed to stop for supplies at Rockhampton, and this coupled with the late start meant that we did not make it to our planned destination for the day just north of Mackay. Instead, as the sun went down, we scrambled around to find a place to stay for the night. I am writing this from a rest stop out the back of the Caltex in Marlborough with nothing but a glass of red wine the rumble of the Bruce highway and the hum of refrigerated trucks to keep me company.

Passing through Rockhampton did mean that we also passed over the Tropic of Capricorn today, which in turn meant it was time to break out the shorts, T-shirts and of course the new Akubra!

Lake Monduran to Marlborough: 340km’s

Sydney to Grafton

After a long cold week in Narrabeen, the sun came out to see us on our way North. It took nearly two hours to get packed up – not exactly a personal best – and so by the time we had done this and some last minute deliveries of stuff that we are not taking with us, we did not get underway until lunchtime.

Having topped up our iPods with practically our entire collection of CD’s in readiness for the trip, we left Sydney to the retro sounds of M People’s Moving On Up and The Very Best of The Who (plenty of air guitar and overly enthusiastic chorus singing from the back seat for Pinball Wizard). Our first stop is with Jules’ mum in Grafton for two nights. After only eight nights in a camper-trailer, the boys were already practically salivating at the sight of Nana’s TV.

The journey up here provided an opportunity to get a better feel for how the car handles when towing the trailer. It seems to like downhills better than uphills and we won’t be breaking any land speed records, but we have six months to get used to it and can just keep reminding ourselves that not being in any great hurry to get anywhere is part of the point of the trip...

Important Data:

Distance travelled: 614km’s

Hours on the road: 9.

“Are we there yet?”’s: a surprisingly low, 3.

The story so far...

It’s been an eventful last few weeks... more details to follow but in brief:

We put the finishing touches to our new home, we sold our other car for a good price... for the buyer... we ticked off at least 50 of the 200 or so items on our To Do list, and most importantly; we found someone to rent our house whilst we are away. Great news, but as the new tenants needed to move in eight days before we were able to head up the coast, after a frantic week of moving all our worldly possessions into a double garage, we are now installed in Sydney Lakeside Holiday Park in Narrabeen looking forward to next Monday and warmer climes.

We woke up to a cold and grey sky on our first morning in Narrabeen after a night cold enough to send us stealthily back to our house to pick up a 1000W heater. That said, and without wanting to obsess about the weather, last night, our second night under canvas, was more eventful still as much of it was spent battling 100km per hour gale force winds and rain which threatened to do some real damage to the trailer and our trip plans. In the end we got away with a few bent poles, a small rip to the awning canvas, and a temporary dent in our enthusiasm for this camping lark at around 3.30am!