Time in Townsville

06/06/2012
  At last we finally made it to Porcupine Gorge and it was well worth the trouble we have gone through seeing as we should have been here a week ago. Because it’s such a nice place we are free camping for a night except it’s not exactly free, we had to donate $10 -20c  into the National Park collection box.
 There is the usual look out point where we think we got some nice pictures of the gorge and a little further on, where we are camped, is a walking track down to the river at the bottom of the gorge. . They advise you  to set aside 2 ½ hrs for this walk as it is classed as moderate to difficult walking, very rough and steep in places. We put on our trainers for the first time in God knows how long and went for a scramble. We went about 2/3 s the way down before turning back. It looked a bit tricky and we are so unfit after lolling about in Cairns for months, must work harder now. Oh, and it was getting near beer o’clock!
 Since we left Burdekin Dam the daytime weather has been perfect, blue skies and around 22/23C but it’s bloody cold once the sun goes down. We had the van heater on last night but that only works on mains electricity, so as I write Jane is rummaging about looking for warmer layers to put on later. I haven’t got any!

 07/06/2012
  Another beautiful day as we make our way south, once again passing through the town of Hughenden. We are nearly on first name terms with the butcher there, she was asking us all about the Jubilee Celebrations, but of course we haven’t seen any of it except for a 3 minute clip on the shiny thing showing  the Flotilla on the Thames. The Aussies we have talked to are well up to speed with what they have seen and are very complimentary and all said how much they admire the Queen.
 We are free camped in another tiny hamlet called Corfield (pop about 2), sitting drinking beer watching the sun go down before the night time freeze. Down to 14C or so lately.

 08/06/2012
  Having driven for 2 hours along the most diabolical of roads yesterday, we learned first thing this morning we have to do it all again and hot foot it back to Charters Towers. The 2 hours is just a stretch between Corfield and Hughenden, probably, in sections, the most dangerous road I have driven on. It changes from gravel, to mud, back to bitumen in any order, the mud being so tricky to negotiate being deep rutted.
 Anyway that over we had a further 4 hour drive back to Charters Towers to pick up the referral letter and the 3D x-ray burnt to disc, to take to the specialist in Townsville. We missed an appointment the dentist had arranged for us today because we were out of telephone range, being out in the bush. It has been rearranged for a weeks time.
 Townsville is a big place which we know quite well and already we are planning trips to the rugby club and fish and chip suppers!

 09/06/2012
  An easy run today, it being just 120 K, that was until we reached the outskirts of Townsville, and got lost for a while. I wouldn’t mind but we have been here lots of times in the past.
 It was good to see the ranges as we approached Townsville, back to the tropics and rainforests. We have booked into a caravan park for a few days hoping that we might get a cancellation before our appointment on Friday. Townsville is not a bad place to be held up in for a while. We can still do day trips and remain in telephone contact.

 10/06/2012
  After shopping at good old Dan Murphys ( the finest bottle-o in Australia)we went and had a look at the ocean as we haven’t seen it for some time. Previously we have parked easily on the promenade, or The Strand, as it is called here, but today the place was packed.
 This weekend Queensland celebrates the Queens Birthday, a holiday on Monday, so that, coupled with beautiful weather everyman and his dog was down on the beach.
 We did manage to park, went for a walk and had lunch, then paid a visit to the Queensland Cowboys rugby league club for a beer thinking we might see some rugby on their tele. All of the home nations are on tour in the southern hemisphere and all teams played tests over the weekend. So, what was on the tele..??  Darts!! One beer and we were gone to visit the pub across the road for one, where we found some of Townsvilles  finest!! We watched one guy leave his inhaler on the bar while he staggered outside for a smoke. We may look elsewhere tomorrow.

11/06/2012
A do nothing sort of a day as it’s a bank holiday and everyone else seems to be doing nothing so we joined in! Sat on the beach for most of it and only ventured a paddle as the water temperature is a chilly 20c. As we are now just killing time we will spend a couple of days concentrating on topping up the tan.