Monday, July 9, 2012

The Tropics...Wet Wet Wet!!


This is a picture of the sun...to remind us what it looks like!! This was taken at Seaforth, just north of Mackay. We were camped not 100 metres from this beach.

Two days in Townsville and now a day on the road and every one has been overcast. Today was particularly wet as we headed north to Wonga Beach, about 60kms north of Cairns. Sometimes the rain was torrential, others it was just a drizzle! We weren't deterred however, as it made for some cooler driving.

We departed Townsville at 8am and did a poor hours drive of only 70km. Mostly due to the weather as there were not many road works happening today.

A quick stop in Tully to take a wet photo of the big gumboot (how appropriate!) and then a morning tea stop for those who wanted to eat.

Today we have a third car in our convoy, as Leon's brother Peter and his wife, Julie have joined us in their big LandRover Defender. It isn't towing anything so Peter has been playing tour guide for the day riding up front. He has also let us know where there are any hazards on the road and when he's turning...mostly!

We got through Cairns fairly quickly and I was sorry that we didn't have time to stop there as it looked like it was worth exploring further! Hopefully on our way home, our itinerary will allow for it. I've never been to Cairns before. At least now I can say I have!

Our lunch stop was at Ellis Beach cafe and I think we were about the only patrons there. If it had been a better day I am sure that the place would be packed as it has a terrific beach view. Today's view was of a very messy sea that was also brown.

We arrived at the Pinnacle Caravan Park around 4.30pm and quickly found our camping site. After playing a bit of musical cars and campers, we finally settled on our positions and set up in short order. With the drizzle about, we were quick to get things sorted! Unfortunately, I also noticed that apparently my trailer has decided to drink about a litre of water today, how or where it has got in it is hard to say as all the seals seem to be dry. Tomorrow we'll get a bit of a better look and try to drain the water out!

Our campsite is a bit damp but we are well protected from the strong NE wind blowing off shore and there are not many others camping in the unpowered section here. It is sometimes good to be self sufficient!

Tomorrow is our trek up the Bloomfield track to Cooktown. A distance of some 160kms but likely to take us the best part of the day. Hopefully, my trailer won't be drinking too much more water and hopefully NO mud!! On the upside, everything seems dry and safe inside.

With a bit of luck, tomorrow will dawn dry and I'll be able to get some photos of the campsite and the beach before we have to pack up once more and leave!

Over the course of the trip, we've done some km's. It has been an amazing thing to think on how vast this country is, however, it is still hard to believe that I am currently sitting north of Cairns, just a few days away from touching the top of Australia.


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