Mossman Gorge and South Again

July 17 – Mossman

We were up early and ready to hit the road. We drove north to the Mossman Gorge expecting to go for a nice walk through the rain forest. We smelled some sulphur on our drive up and worried that it was the battery. Maybe the check battery light had actually come on for a reason. We arrived at the visitors center and found out a bridge was damaged so only a small section of the path was open. We also had to pay $5 for a shuttle bus up to the start of the path. We figured we were here anyways so we might as well go. The board walk route was fairly short, maybe a kilometer loop but the rainforest was very pretty. There were a bunch of people around though too. You could go swimming in the river but it wasn't all that nice out so we opted to not. Back down at the van we called the RACV and found out where the nearest accredited shop was. We made it back to the little town of Mossman and had our battery checked at an auto-parts store. The guy deemed it toast due to overcharging and recommended we see an autoelectrician to find the cause of the problem. Fortunately the mechanic was just around the corner and were able to squeeze us in in about an hour. We left Dotti at the mechanics and went for a little walk around the town. We stopped into a bakery for a meat pie and sausage rolls for lunch then headed back to the mechanic. We read in the reception for a bit and found out a there was a wire shorting out that blew a fuse and pooched our battery. $300 later the problem was solved and we had a new battery. We drove south back past Cairns, got some groceries and gas along the way, then stopped for the night about 200km north of Townsville.

Mossman river

July 18 – Townsville to MacKay

We chatted with a Polish woman for a little bit at our rest stop before breakfast. She was quite the talker but very nice. We hit the road and headed down to Townsville. We skipped Josephine Falls again because it was raining. We had also talked about going to Magnetic Island but the weather wasn't reliable and we had a lot of ground to cover so we decided against it. Once in Townsville we stopped for lunch at Hungry Jacks and got updated. Beau called his dad to wish him a happy birthday. After our hour rest we got back on the road and drove all the way down to Mackay. We ended up staying at a rest stop/gas station for the night. I wasn't entirely sure if we were allowed to stay overnight but there was no sign saying we couldn't. We made instant noddles for dinner. There were also showers at the stop so we took advantage of those too.

Driving photo

July 19 – Mackay to Gladstone

We were up early and headed out of the reststop with making breakfast. We had thought to stop into a Hungry Jacks for brekky and wifi but weren't able to get to one. We drove south of Mackay then stopped into another rest stop for some belated oatmeal and coffee. We then drove the boring drive down to Rockhampton. It's about 300km of nothing. Once in Rockhampton we found another Hungry Jacks and had lunch while doing more updating. After an hour in Hungry's we headed down to a rest stop just west of Gladstone on the Calliope River. It was a nice little spot a bit off the highway. We arrived in late afternoon so we spent some time sitting outside before the sunset. Beau played some guitar and I read. We made pasta again for dinner and then read a bit in the evening. It was pretty frigid out tonight and I could see my breath on the walk to the bathroom.

Airlie Beach

June 30 – Carmila Beach

We were still feeling depressed about our tropical disappointment from yesterday when we awoke. We made breakfast and got chatting with our older Irish neighbour who was spending a year traveling around Australia in his little campervan. We hit the road and drove about 60km to Carmila Beach where there was another free campsite. The camp area was a little difficult to navigate through since it was all sand and we didn't want to get stuck. We found a spot then had a little walk around to scope out some other areas. Where we were seemed the most likely place for us to get out of easily. We decided to set up our great big tarp to give us a little sun shade. After making tuna wraps for lunch we decided a walk on the beach was in order. Actually it was more like a walk out to sea. There was a huge difference between the high and low tide marks. We probably walked for about 1 km before we hit the ocean. We walked through some pretty mucky bits where our feet sank down to clay. We also had to watch out for crabs, snails and sand dollars. It was a nice walk and we soaked up some sun while the on shore breeze kept us cool. After we found our way back to the van we sat around with a book and guitar, as usual. We started making dinner while we had light but by the time we were done the sun had set and the mozies were out in full force. We had dinner inside and finished the night with more reading.

July 1 – Mackay to Airlie

Beau woke up for an early bathroom break and caught the sunrise. He quickly grabbed the camera and took a bunch of pictures of the sunrise. I had a little peak at the sun too but we went back to sleep for a few more hours. We took our time about getting breakfast and packing up. We went for another walk along the beach with our coffees in hand. We eventually got the awning packed up and made a careful getaway. We drove up to Mackay and stopped for groceries and some lunch. We wanted kangaroo burgers but had to go into a second grocery store for our roo patties. We continued on our merry way and finally arrived in Airlie Beach after a total of 200km. We headed straight to our caravan park and arrived just in time to catch the office open. We were both in dire need of a shower so we knocked that off our list first. We then made our kangaroo burgers. While Beau was grilling away he chatted with an older guy who used to drive the boat out to Heron Island. This guy later helped couple skin a fish which Beau watched with interest. After dinner we read in the van for a bit before bed. 

Sunrise at Carmila Beach

July 2 – Airlie Beach

The van has been squeaking lately when we go over bumps and have to make tight turns. We aren't really sure what it is whether it is the suspension or the ball joint so Beau tried to take it to a mechanic this morning. He visited two shops but both had no time for our poor Dotti so we'll try in another time. While Beau was off doing this I put laundry on and got it all hung up to dry. Beau returned and we had some breakfast. We were hoping to visit the library to do some updating but they charged for internet so we were reduced to McD's internet. We struggled to check our e-mails with the crappy wifi. We then headed back to the main drag. We walked to the reception for our boat trip to get some info about our trip tomorrow. I had been eyeing up a big floppy hat and actually bought one. We then had lunch out at a place called Beaches that had meals and a beer for $13. I had a chicken burger and a cider while Beau enjoyed a steak and a beer. We then went for a nice walk along the board walk around the lagoon, a waterfront pool, and over to the marina. When we came back and we stopped into a book store. We swapped a couple of our books for a new one for Beau. I've also been wanting a real pair of shorts and found a pair of short jean shorts for $15. We headed back to the caravan park and had roo burgs for dinner again. While we had dinner the couple from the night before where around and had much more success fishing today. They enlisted the help of the older gentleman from the night before to help clean them. He got through them super quick and made it look a cinch. Beau is dying to go fishing now.

The Airlie Lagoon

July 3 – All Aboard the Anaconda 3

We packed our bags this morning in preparation for our Whitsundays Sailing Adventure aboard the Anaconda 3. We weren't allowed to take any bags with zippers because of bedbugs so we packed everything in our sleepbag bags and reusable shopping bags. We headed into town to the grocery store where we picked up some snacks for the boat as well as electrolyte drink so make sure we stay hydrated. We then went for a walk along the waterfront towards the sailing club. We headed back to the lagoon and decided to sit in the sun for a bit. Once 1pm rolled around we went to check in to the boat and got the rest of the trip paid for. We were pretty hungry once that was taken care of so we went back to Beaches for $13 lunch and drink. Lunch was not as good as yesterday though, I had calamari and it wasn't great. We then walked over the marina to rent some stinger suits. We could rent them from the boat for $22 for 3 days or from another spot for $12. We did have a little trouble figuring out what thickness we needed but settled for 3/2mm, it's 3mm in the torso and 2mm in the arms and legs. With that taken care of we went back to the van. We didn't want to be in the sun any more and the shade was too chilly in the wind so we ended up reading in the van which was a nice warm temperature for the sun being on it. We drove over the marina and scored some free parking. We made some sandwiches for a light dinner then made our way over to the meeting area. We were assigned our cabins and then walked over to the boat. We put our stuff away in our cabins then met back up on deck for a briefing and a glass of bubbly. One of the deckies went through introductions as well as some safety and rules including only being allowed 1 minute showers per day to conserve water since all the water is in a tank on board. We were expertly maneuvered out of the harbour and motored along for about 2 hrs before coming to our mooring for the night.