DAY 53 -58 (Port to Cairns)

DAY 58 - Mon 16 Aug

• Today we spent the day cleaning and washing. During the night we had bats flying around and eating the fruit in the tree above us... check out our car the next morning. I can hear them now flying around again...

Lake Placid - unlike the movie you can swim here.. we didnt!

Manda saw a podiatrist today as I've had a pretty sore foot for the last few weeks... this is how I came home. Apparently I have sesamoiditis or something that sounds like that... just means I have an inflamed or bruised bone in my foot... no idea how I did it. I have to strap it for the next few weeks and try rest it if possible. 

We are both tired, I think still recovering from our trip back up here. Geoff's watching tv and Im blogging although Im really sleepy so I hope it makes sense. Tomorrow we are meeting up with our friends from Newy, Ryan and Mel and their son Max in Mareeba. We are then heading with them to a camp spot somewhere in the Atherton Tablelands.

PS, Our fridge still stinks to high heavens!


DAY 57 - Sun 15 Aug

• At this campsite was a waterhole called Paradise... You can see why...

The water looked so inviting we both jumped in when no-one was around (didnt have any swimmers!)

It was quite fresh! Straight in and Straight out...

Harvesting sugarcane along the way to Cairns....

Port Hinchenbrook.... Mmmmmmm the nicest canal area eva

We picked up our van in Cairns and was horrified to see my fridge had sprouted a flower garden. We were hoping the solar would run the fridge while we were away. It didn't. I spent the next few hours cleaning it... It was the most revolting job. At one point I ran out of the van dry reaching - it smelt like a combination of ear wax and toe jam. YUK.

We camped in a caravan park at Lake Placid in the Baron Gorge Area.

DAY 56 - Sat 14 Aug

• Before we left Emerald the next morning, I had to get a photo of the giant Van Gogh Sunflower painting... (I am standing under it)

A giant drag line bucket at Clermont

8 hours after leaving Emerald, we arrived at Big Crystal Creek (Paluma Range National Park) just north of Townsville. It was a much warmer night - phew!

DAY 55 - Fri 13 Aug

• It was still FREEZING in the morning so we ate breakfast in the car (,with the heater running full ball) feeling very miserable and lacking sleep...

We decided to do the 2 hour walk down into the bottom of the Robinson Gorge to warm up. We were absolutely rewarded and soon got over our painful night...

Then the 3 hour drive out of the National Park was so beautiful.... photos really dont do it justice. I think this was the highlight of our trip north.

We found out along the way as we headed north to our next camp spot that the temp. was forecast to be 4 degrees overnight...  We were not keen to repeat the night before so we headed into Emerald to buy another blanket. Geoff suggested we get ourselves blind drunk tonight so we can sleep in the artic tent...We arrived in Emerald quite late, were both tired from lack of sleep for 2 nights, hadn't showered in 3 days... a cheap motel sounded like heaven compared to braving 4 degrees camping without adequate blankets. We both sleep very well.


DAY 54 - Thurs 12 Aug

• We had a hot breakfast the next morning to cheer us up a little after the cold night with not much sleep.

From there, we made our way to Starkvale Campsite in the Robinson Gorge (Expedition National Park) which is in south west QLD. It was a beautiful drive into the National Park...

We even managed to chase some emu's just for fun...

We arrived and set up camp, then headed to the Cattle Dip Gorge for a look (short drive and walk from camp)...

Unfortunately one of the many things we forgot (other than warm blankets) was chairs. Geoff was very proud of himself for winching a log out of the bush for us to sit on...

On the drive into the Gorge we followed some fresh tyre tracks that manda suggested belongs to a Troopy with cheesecutter wheels - sure enough when we got to camp there was a Troopy with cheesecutter wheels. Must be my inner bush hunting skills emerging. 

Cooking another fine feast on the Beefeater...

Now, if we thought last night was freezing this night will FOREVER be etched in our memories! At one point before we went to bed I was standing around the fire and couldnt work out why the smoke from the fire kept following me... then I realised it was my own breath! We desperately clung to each other ALL night trying to stay warm with not much success. There was a frost the next morning, not sure at what temp. this occurs but IT WAS SO SO SO COLD! 

DAY 53 - Weds 11 Aug

• We left Port Macquarie at 8am. It was much harder to leave this time not knowing when we will be back... both a little nervous.
• We headed inland over the Walcha Mountains - the temp. noticably dropped.
• We had a chilly lunch at Inverall. 
• Camped under Cypress Pines near Mooney River - sounds nicer than it prob. was. When we pulled up to check out the site, I was walking around near the back of the car when the car started reversing. I thought "that's odd.. wonder why Geoff's moving the car"... then I see Geoff walking in the bush - not in the car! someone might have forgot the handbrake...

Loving the BeefEater BBQ - check out our feast!

• The temperature dropped quite dramatically when the sun disappeared. It was FREEZING! We woke up at 1pm shattered we still had hours to go. The worst was the airbed - any part of your body that was touching it was cold. Feel asleep wondering if its possible to get frostbite on your nose.
• I swear during the night I heard a 10 tonne skippy bouncing past the tent - the ground shook!