After checking out Lucinda we continued south to Townsville where we were very lucky to have a spot on the front lawn of the beautiful home of Tarnia’s cousin Glenn and his wife Annie and their kids Matt and Kaitlin. With a name like that we knew he was going to be a top bloke and we would have a good time. It was great timing for us to catch up with Glenn as he was on long service leave.
When we arrived on Thursday afternoon, Glenn had already prepared a big roast dinner – what a welcome…haven’t been able to cook too many of these in the last 12 months. We sat up chatting until after midnight (adults that is), catching up on stories from the past few years and had a great night.
On Friday we explored the waterfront area of Townsville, “The Strand”. Like the Cairns waterfront, this area is fantastic for families and kids with awesome facilities including the lagoon, playgrounds and of course ripsticking/scootering paths. The water in the lagoon was a bit fresh for a swim, even for us southerners, but we did dip the toes in.
The kids had lots of fun on the flying fox in the playground.
The views from this waterfront area are a bit nicer than in Cairns. Magnetic Island is about 8kms away.
Castle Hill forms the backdrop to the Strand.
After playing on the beach we drove up to check out the views…beautiful.
In our five nights at Glenn and Annie’s the kids loved the chance to move out of the van for a while – sleepover in the lounge room.
Of course the Wi got a fair workout as well…guitar hero was a favourite.
Look at the concentration.
Matt taught Ashley a few tunes on the real guitar which she loved.
Days were spent looking around Townsville and ripsticking the local pathways around the Ross River which is right near Glenn & Annie’s place. The free swimming pool/lagoon and playground was a great spot for a picnic on Sunday.
The street kids spent nights outside skateboarding and ripsticking the streets. The little kids were able to repay the guitar lessons by teaching Matt and Kaitlin how to ride the ripsticks. It was great fun. The adults spent each night chatting til late.
Monday was a bludgy day while the useless Jeep was serviced at the useless Jeep service centre (Pickerings). Try to avoid having your car serviced there if you are ever in Townsville. On the way north we stopped in at Pickerings to have it checked over as an engine warning light was coming on. Turns out it needed a new battery but it took them all day to do that. Since heading south for the last couple of weeks, now the car has been making a squeaking noise when turning the engine off so we thought we better have that checked. This time it needed a new drive belt but of course Pickerings didn’t have any and claim it will take 14 days to get one in! What made it worse is that the person on the front desk who explains what has been found with the car is not a mechanic and has absolutely no idea what he is taking about. I had to insist on talking to the mechanic who did the work to get the real story. Overall on the trip the car has been very good on fuel, averaging about 13 litres/100km but that’s about the only good thing I could say about it.
Unfortunately on Tuesday it was time to move on. We really enjoyed our time here and were made to feel very welcome – felt like home. Matt and Caitlin are two of the nicest, most polite teenagers we have ever met. They were also so patient with our kids who really looked up to them. Thanks Glenn, Annie, Matt and Kaitlin for a great few days.
Tuesday 3 – Saturday 7 August
On the way south we passed through Home Hill and Ayr, and stopped in at Bowen for lunch. There’s lots of information and photos from the movie “Australia”, much of which was filmed here. The Bowen jetty is the one used in the film as the Darwin jetty.
Of course the kids will remember Bowen as a break from the car and for the quality of the skate park.
Note Ella riding the ripstick unassisted. She has now mastered it - very happy!
There’s quite a bit of redevelopment of the Bowen waterfront area – looks like it will be a very nice area when it is completed. Wouldn’t say that the main town area of Bowen is a happening place but the beaches (Rose Bay and Horseshoe Bay) are beautiful.
We continued south arrived at “the gateway to the Whitsundays”, Airlie Beach where we checked into the Flametree Caravan Park. One of the things that stood out most as we drove into town was the many boats in the marina. Would love to own one of those.
After setting up camp we drove out to Shute Harbour – nice view over more boats and out to the Whitsunday Islands.
Tuesday night we were reminded that we were heading back south – minimums in Townsville were around 19 degrees but here it dropped to a chilly 8 degrees. Ooooh – the extra blankets were out!
On Wednesday we walked around town. Very touristy and dominated by backpackers. Still it’s a beautiful spot looking out to the islands.
The lagoon by the waterfront right in the middle of town was a great place to hang out.
There were plenty of laps done of this lagoon while we were at Airlie Beach (around the outside).
Ashley spied the Bali style hut at the yacht club and was very keen to picnic there – no signs saying you couldn’t.
Thursday was another bludgy day. At the caravan park we met a family from the Gold Coast who were also heading towards home after travelling around the country. John and his wife Cathy were both top hairdressers who do work for TV and movies. John was hilarious and told lots of funny stories. He offered to cut and tint Tarnia’s hair for about a quarter of what it would have cost in a salon. Job done and Tarnia was very happy (instead of hippy).
Early night tonight – a big day is planned for tomorrow.
Friday – Happy 8th birthday Luke!
The day started with present opening - new skateboard (with ABEC 5’s), skater clothes, and other cool stuff. Very happy boy!
This birthday will be one to remember for years to come. After the awesome time that we had snorkeling at Ningaloo Reef, we had been looking forward to getting out to the Great Barrier Reef for a while now. It was one of the iconic places that we didn’t want to miss on the trip. We were booked on a boat trip through the Whitsundays and out to Hardy Reef.
We boarded the Fantasea and took up position on the top deck.
First stop was Hamilton Island.
It was really exciting to be out among the islands.
The trip out to the Hardy Reef took a couple of hours. First activity was the semi-sub for great views of the coral and information about what we were seeing.
After the smorgasbord lunch it was time to get wet. Everything was supplied including stinger suits, wetsuits and snorkelling gear. Check out the outfits.
After the kids had enough they hung out in the warmth of the underwater viewing area and watched me (as I stayed in the water until the last possible minute).
A few people have asked us which reef was better, Ningaloo or Great Barrier Reef. Our opinion is that they are both great for different reasons. With kids and for accessibility (once you have driven the thousands of kms to get there) you can’t beat Ningaloo. No boat required as you can snorkel over amazing coral and colourful fish just off the beach. We were able to snorkel everyday there from our camp site and it cost us nothing.
Unfortunately it costs more to get out to the Great Barrier Reef as you need a boat so it’s more of a one off experience but the coral is unbelievable and there are so many fish. We saw huge clams, fantastic shells including an awesome cowrie and thousands and thousands of fish, from giant trevally to tiny clown fish.
What a sensational day! By the time we were heading back to shore the wind and swell had picked up quite a bit. We knew we were in for a rough trip when the staff handed out spew bags (compulsory to take one) and then stood with gloves on ready to “assist” people. Oh dear. Luckily none of us get car sick and we haven’t been sea sick before either but it looked like this was going to be rougher than we had experienced before. One by one the people around us started to hurl. The tough part was stopping the kids from looking at others spewing. Seeing that, along with the smell was worse than anything. We all proved our seaworthiness though as none of us saw our lunch for a second time.
Once we reached the shelter of the islands the swell settled down and the rest of the trip was more enjoyable again. Note the new Star Wars shirt here (birthday present).
Back on shore we headed back into town for more night time skateboarding around the lagoon and it was time for the birthday boy’s favourite dinner…
…before heading back to the van for cake.
Saturday 7 August
Moving on again. Airlie Beach was a nice place to visit but we wouldn’t want to live there. Too touristy.
On the way south we stopped in at St Helens Beach for lunch – looked like a relaxing quiet spot – but we continued on to Seaforth where we stayed at the council campgrounds right on the beach.
Nearby is the beautiful Cape Hillsborough where the kangaroos hang out on the beach in the early morning and late afternoon.
Sunday 8 – Tuesday 10 August
It’s great to be able to call in and catch up with family and friends all around the country. In Mackay we were lucky enough to be able to park the van in the carport of my cousin Natalie, her husband Dave and their kids Hanah and Laura. Our guys were very excited to have the opportunity to play with other kids around the same age.
We spent Sunday afternoon relaxing under the back entertainment area and catching up on adventures. It was great to be able to chat to Dave before he had to head back out to Moranbah for work for a few days.
The beauty salon was open inside.
Monday – Happy birthday Tarnia! We had a relaxing day looking around Mackay and picnicked at the Mackay harbour which is a really nice area. Surprisingly there were waves at the beach there – I think this is rare though.
Monday evening it was party time.
On Tuesday it was the kids playing the party games – the chocolate game is a favourite.
After an afternoon of playing at the park and hide & seek the kids were pooped at the end of the day.
Another big thanks to Natalie, Dave, Hanah and Laura for a fun and relaxing few days. We’ll catch up for a camping trip in the near future.
