05/10/2011
Yet another start to the day requiring full choke, we feel more are on the way. There has been a change in the weather, still warm and humid but the sun has disappeared making it a good day for walking. We hiked along the beach for a couple of kilometres to Palm Grove Beach, where we had lunch then walked back dodging the surf.
06/10/2011
Exercise today consisted of a morning wandering around a shopping mall for supplies for the weekend. We are going up to Cooktown to the annual Hog hunt, a cull of feral pigs with the weigh in and results held at the local pub on Sunday. Cooktown is Outback Australia, in fact it is as far north as you can go (in Queensland) safely in a 2WD vehicle as the roads are dirt and full of corrugations thereafter.
Evening drinks with Phil, Julie, Glyn and Alana just to see us on our way.
07/10/2011
The scenery on the way up to Cooktown is absolutely stunning making driving concentration very difficult especially as the roads are narrow. For the first 69K the narrow winding road follows the coast with views out to the great barrier reef and along the shoreline. Along here there are miles of golden sandy beaches with occasional rocky outcrops, then, at the town of Mossman the road cuts inland climbing through Kuranda National Park. This a park of pristine rain forest until the town of Mt Carbine, having passed the tiny hamlet of Faulty Towers, then the countryside opens up into savannah. From there on we travel past 2 roadhouses,no other habitation, until we reach Black Mountain National Park, where the mountain resembles an enormous pile of building blocks that look as though they have been placed there deliberately. We stopped at a rest area by the Little Annan River for lunch but like most rivers and small creeks up here in the tropics at this time of year there was very little water in it and it was virtually dry.
In Cooktown we have pulled into a caravan park on the edge of town, a park full of palms and mango trees, the fruit just beginning to fall. We could be Mango-ed out by Monday.
From Cairns to Cooktown it’s about 360K’s and the road is known as the Great Tropical Drive a perfect description.
08/10/2011
A really hot day with humidity at 80% here in Cooktown --perfect conditions for sand flies and mossies as we have both gone into scratching mode. Despite the temp and humidity, we spent the morning and early afternoon doing the touristy things, looking at statues and stuff, because that’s what you do. We visited the lighthouse, the whole thing being made in England and shipped out in 1885. The view from the top, of the town, the Endeavour river and out to sea is spectacular and we could see several bushfires on the opposite shore.
Lunch followed at the famous old pub The Lions Den, some 20K’s out of town. It is VERY rural, quaint, where hundreds of people have signed their name on the walls. Outside is a lovely shaded deck area with creepers and trees with lovely flowers. We have no idea what they are but will send photos. They didn’t look real! Back at camp a quick cool down in the pool and a play with the sand flies before the day deteriorated, having walked into town to watch the England v France game on the tele in the Pub. Another very poor performance from England. Time for a new Manager and coaches.
09/10/2011
Today is the day of the Cooktown hog hunt, an event I may well have mentioned previously! What a day. Without going into too much detail, here are the results, hot off the press.
1 Heaviest Boar 107Kg
2 Total pigs culled 154
3 Most pigs culled by 1 team 21
4 Number of hunting teams 27 (including “Team Pink” all ladies!!)
There were prizes for the pig with longest ’hook’ (tooth or fang), the ugliest mutt and the most maggoty pig plus lots more. Sunday afternoons in the Pub will never be the same again. Jane spent most of the time in the bar , avoiding the smell while I loosed off over 50 shots of pigs and dogs from every conceivable angle.
We had spent the morning going round the Pioneer Cemetery. We are big on cemeteries, you can learn lots ---- mostly about dead people. It gives you an insight into the tough conditions the pioneers and people coming over in the Goldrush had to endure. Then, that evening, for the first time this tour we shut ourselves in the van and turned on the air conditioning. You can’t imagine the humidity here. It is also the worst place we have ever experienced for sand flies.
10/10/2011
We are back in Clifton Beach now after a very hot drive down from Cooktown. Whilst temp and humidity are increasing daily, we are fortunate enough not to have any sand flies here and a cooling sea breeze. After the ruthless savaging we received from the almost invisible sand flies in Cooktown, we are now popping antihistimine tablets like smarties. Not sure if the work but they go down well with a few schooners of Tooeys Extra Dry. Another cure for the itch is a swim, pool or sea, or both?!
11/10/2011
Spent a very pleasant evening yesterday around the BBQ with Phil and Julie cooking snags and drinking beer and making plans for the next couple of months. Their family live south of Sydney, so we have already decided to have an Orphans Christmas Day, just the 4 of us.
This morning we played with Phils new kayak, though as yet I am still just a member of the launching party. Trying to get into these narrow canoes, against waves and tide is a hoot. I am waiting for calmer seas.
It’s happy hour tonight and we are having a sea food BBQ with some drink. Should be fun.
No comments:
Post a Comment