Well it's time to start the down hill section back to Brisbane 3 weeks to get to the airport, so no rush! Also time to leave our ocean views. On the road by 0730hrs. Destination - Coen River Bend. .
The last ocean view. Weipa Camp Grounds.
Burning off.
Bamboo Station - can't miss the turnoff!
Fuel tanker road trains - they deliver to Coen, one coming and one going.
The truckies having a chat, asked the truckie heading South to give us a call when he got into our dust and I would slow down to let him get past.
Yep, I am from South Australia, well known as Crow Eater's - pick-up anything. I was taught by one of the best at it, my mate Trudge. It was almost a competition to see who saw what first to get picked up in our travels, it was usually timber, but any thing is fair game. Now I am passing it on to Sue, still a way to go though, as I have stopped by the time Sue asked "NOW WHAT!!"
Small road train - only two trailers.
The fuel truckie calling us up, " BUSHTRACKER MAN" I am in your dust. "Okay will start slowing down" doing all of 40k's, "It's all clear ahead"
Road works.
40ks short of Coen River Bend, probably had enough fuel to get there but best not to get an air lock in the system.
More road works, we made good time with all the new sections of graded road.
Driving Stat's :- Distance 255.7ks Time 4h 21m Avg. Speed 56.8 kph.
Out on the plains.
Our friends at Coen River Bend. Went into town to get some dog food, and the owner of the BP Servo gave us a bag of dog biscuits also. These fellow's are not starving, that's for sure.
Just to refresh your memories from the previous blog, this is the note in the Windy Loo at the Bend. Fluffy & Gentle are so well fed they only tackled the canned DOG FOOD - made in THAILAND, so we left the dog biscuits in Windy Loo.
Now this really got Sue going. It's called a GOTCHA! I went for a hike up the river bed and on return said I had spotted and photographed a naked nymph sunbaking on the rocks. "Did she see you?" "Hell no. that's why I got the photo" It was a good stir!
Also found a Bower Birds nest so we tracked back up river for Sue to have a look.
Neat hey! Plus all the bit's and pieces the bird collected to decorate the nest.
Fluffy!
Gentle!
The note Sue left on the Dog Biscuit bag in Windy Loo.
Checkout the dog's sad face, he knew we were leaving.
Good shot Sue got of the Calf and Mum.
Some minor corrugations, these go on for hundered's of K's, but at the speeds we travle no drama. It's the hire vehicles, they fly along, no wonder it's cost $250 per day to hire a 4 x 4 vehicle when you see the way they drive them.
Magnificent tree at Lakeland Road House.
Laura camp site - again all to our selves. The air con. decided it had had enough. When we got it checked in Mossman we found that the air con pipe had corroded where it went under the battery box from acid leaks.
Good day's drive - 246.2k's at an average speed of 44.2k's per hour.
Oh! by the way before we departed Weipa I decided to use lower tyre pressure's to see how it went - the van 20psi vehicle 22psi and air bags @ 20psi. Wow it made a difference, much smoother drive in the vehicle and every thing in the BT enjoyed the softer tires.
Corroded air con pipe. We had to wait a week in Mossman to get the new part from Melbourne; the only one in Australia it seemed. It was supposed to have been ordered by another party in Cairns on Thursday, on site Monday. Monday arrives no part where is it, oh! forgot to order it (third party). Will be here Wednesday, no show, Thursday the parts arrived, it had gone to Townsville, Cairns then Mossman. Just as well we weren't in a hurry to get any where.
So we had plenty of time in Mossman to explore and cook! Wash the BT. Look great after all the dirt we had covered. Did some general maintance and serviced the vehicle, there's always some thing to do when on the road.
Velvet Starling nests, boy! they sure make a racket.
What's it called - Rubber Tree in flower. neat!
The Hinterland and cane fields behind the show ground camp site.
As mentioned earlier us Crow Eaters can't resist picking up stuff. The chain will for sure anchor the tinnie up, the turn buckle needs a whack with a hammer and be good as new & the rope will come in handy for something I am sure.
Whilst waiting for the air con pipe we visited some friends in Cairns, well in fact they live on a hill in a location called Lake Placid ( no it's not Canada). Khun Deung cooked up som tum and curry for lunch it was fantastic real Thai food! Not that's Sues' cooking is not real Thai food it's just having someone else cook. Magic location and house, 3 mtr wide veranda around the whole house. The dogs have the run of 30 acreas.
Departed Mossman 24th Nov. at 0515hrs and thru Cairns traffic by 0630hrs, well we beat the traffic. We just had to pull in here to check it out - 111k's South of Cairns, our own Township.
Our own Park and Store!
Our own Beach.
Breakfast at Cowley Beach.
Rolled into Townsville and camped on Sam's vacant block next door. Sam just purchased the BBQ and assembled it, must have known we were coming. Anyway it was duly christened.
Also meet Tony and Marg from Charters Towers who's place we camped earlier.
A long day's drive Mossman to Townville - 448ks Driving Avg 64.9kph. That's with all the side trips etc.
Townsville to Airlie Beach (above) it's spoilt with all the construction going on plus there were 4,500 schoolies in town. So we kept rolling and found this_______
This spot - Midget Point - Whitsunday Waters Camp Ground, 10 acres, overlooking Repulse Bay and Cape Conway, and only 3 other campers miles away. Distance 363k's Avg 69.8kph.
Whitsunday Waters Camp Ground.
Had a quick look around Mackay, then dropped in on Ed, owner of Tropicana Caravan Park, Sarina, where our mate, Fordie, has been camping in his 5th Wheeler. The above is Ed's 5th Wheeler who is heading over to Venus Bay in Feb.06 to catch those King George Whiting. Fordies going to get there first and get the best camp location.
Great rest area, camped here the night. Helped out a bloke with a water pump problem. As it happened I had some Loctite For A Gasket on board, did the job.
Sue relaxing after a long days drive. Checked out most towns to 1770 camp grounds, Yeppon, Emu Park, Gladstone, Miriiam Vale, Agnes Waters. No traffic and lot's of stopping so the 495k's we covered was a breeze.
Bundaberg.
Our mate Owen's camp in Bundy.
Relaxing with a COLDIE! and camp site at Wongi State Forest -
we had the place to ourselves!!
Wongi State Forest - tangled scrub.
Flowers, reflections and locals.
Time for a Cuppachino and Tim Tams!!
Amamoor Recreation Area - we had the place to ourselves. Storm brewing.
The storm turned into a rainbow shower.
The cloud formations later.
The Swan Valley Rattler runs on weekends, the station has a full time Station Master, Porter & Guard.
The local Amamoor Store - real neat and it's the only one in town.
We have arrived on the SUNSHINE COAST - How do we know it's the SUNSHINE COAST, it's raining.
Yes well it's a long story, but every time we visit the SUNSHINE COAST it "RAINS" We have been on the road for three months and this is the first real serious rain we encountered. In fact the main drag into Noosa was washed out. (New's report)
Yep. Its the Hinterland. Getting close to the airport now. Visited Glen the manufacturer of the Tinnie Tosser. Camp overnight. Visited some local attactions and I also passed my Recreational Boat Licence.
Ken Maynards cartoon famous Pub!
Coochin Creek camp location - getting ready to deliver the BT to the Manufacturer to get the modification we require. Next time you see BT photo's the kids bunks and the two back window's will be history.
After dropping the BT off we visited the Gold Coast. One of our old haunts. Stayed at the Trilogy Holiday Apartments at Budds Beach a stones throw from the heart of Surfers - well recommended.
The view from our apartment balcony.
Kitchen, Master Bed Room, and lounge of the unit - real neat!
First time Sue's put on SOCKS in three months - getting ready for the airport. Spent a couple of days on the Gold Coast
7th Dec. 05 - Sue relaxing all the way to Thailand!
This photo was e-mailed from Barry - the mural is in some restaurant's restroom in France.
Well that's a brief view of our travels to date, don't want to bore you too much.
So till our next tour starting March 06. So long.
Cheers
Graham & Sue
PS - This is what we arrived home to in Songkhla, a late monsoon and a very wet golf course.
This is looking down the 7th & 9 th fairways. More on our home town Songkhla when I find time to construct another Blog "SONGKHLA-ABOUT" - see ya!
