DAY 33 - (AYE) KARUMBA - Fishing to our hearts content..

With a break in the drilling, we hoofed it up to the fishing village of Karumba and are settling here till Sunday. It’s a welcome break from the cow-paddy filled campsite!

Karumba is on the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria and boasts some of the best fishing in OZ! With this in mind, we booked onto a ½ day fishing charter and went out fishing this morning (6am arrrhhh). We did quite well for ourselves, catching a nice feed of Blue Salmon. This will be a welcome change to lamb chops, followed by more lamb chops on the camp menu.


After consulting the Lonely Planet, it seemed that Karumba also boasts one of the best beer gardens in OZ as well. We were not disappointed and have headed up there for nearly every meal! It has a spectacular view over the Gulf and the sunsets are breathtaking! We love this little part of the world and might pop back here at some stage if we can.

DAY 30 - BACK IN CROYDON

It has been a bit slow out on the drill rig, so we had some time to get back to Croydon to get some more drinking water and top up supplies. It is "roast" night at the Croydon pub tonight, so we are staying for roast dinner and some medicinal beers.

It is very small camp and we have attached a picture of Neil and Shane, another geologist enjoying a cool beer after another hard day.

The weather has been magnificent up here in the Gulf country, but is getting rather warm during the day getting up towards 35 degrees celcius.

DAY 28 – A DAY IN CROYDON

Well we have been “out bush” in the exploration “fly” camp for 4 days now. When we drove into camp (2 ½ hours out of Georgetown) we were pleasantly surprised as the camp set-up is SO much better than what we expected. Although only temporary, thankfully the camp has a shower, kitchen, generator (powering lights, pump, fridge & freezer) and is based around a picturesque dam seeming with some classic Australian wildlife, like brolgas, emus, kangaroos and a very timid razorback. It is quite remote out here and we are on a cattle station running 20,000 cattle covering about 1 million acres.

Croydon is a very old Gold town, with lots of historic sites to see but not much to do. So we have parked up at “Café Croydon” and thought we would write a quick entry while we munched on our steak sandwiches.

We would like to say a big HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY to Ian Robbo (for the 28th Sept). We will be thinking of you and hope you have a fabulous day! Oh and we will have a rum and coke for you!

We can’t forget Dougie’s birthday either, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Dougie for the 29th Sept! Only 2 more years till the big 30......

DAY 25 – FRIDAY NIGHT IN GEORGETOWN

So we packed up the Pajero again and headed west back across the Atherton Tablelands into Queensland’s Gulf Country.
Twas an interesting drive as Jiminy decided to blow a fuse in Queensland highest town of Ravenshoe. We pulled in for a meat pie and all the warning lights on the instrument panel lit up like a Christmas tree which caused a bit of angst. A quick visit to the auto electrician and we were back on the road.

It was a beautiful drive up across the Tablelands and onto the Kennedy Highway where Dordie had her first experience with road trains. This stretch of road is mostly single lane with trucks towing up to 4 trailers barreling along at 100 km/h. Jiminy’s brand new windscreen has its first stone chip already.

We are spending Friday night at the Georgetown pub and will be watching the big rugby league semi-final with the Broncos with all the locals.

Tomorrow we head out to work which is basically drilling for minerals in the back paddock of a huge cattle station living in a tent.

PREPARTION FOR CROYDON (We have forgotten what Work is like!)

Neil has managed to secure some work for us out in Croydon (in the Gulf Country, QLD) for a week or so. We will head out of Cairns early on Friday morning.

A big thanks to Liz and Bruce for letting us stay at "Waters Edge" in Cairns, let’s just say it’s going to be hard to downsize to a tent!

As communications will be a bit tricky out bush, we will probably be offline for over a week. We bought a CMDA phone today, so this is the best bet if you feel like calling for a chat.....

+61 (0) 427 765 982

PS.We have attached a pic of the new storage set-up at the back of the Pajero. Unfortunately those drawers arent allowed to hold any of Dord's clothes!

THE LAST RED CEDAR IN NORTH QUEENSLAND (WHOOPS)

In our travels we came across the last giant red cedar tree in North Queensland inexplicably left behind by the loggers of the 19th century. The sign said it as over 500 years old and absolutely magnificent and it was an arduous journey through the rainforest to reach it.

After the anticipation and build up, we were confronted by disaster, the great red cedar was now horizontal rather than the vertical and we were some what deflated.

In March this year, Cyclone Larry passed through and decided that the tree was in the way, so the rest is history.

Neil discovered that a nasty big ant nest occupied the stump of the tree and it wasn’t very clever wearing sandals.

DAY 22 – ATHERTON TABLELANDS

Optimistically, we tried to do the Tablelands in one day but ended up spending the entire morning at Kuranda which is a little touristy, but absolutely gorgeous.

Neil dragged Dord from the art galleries and shops and headed up to Mareeba to visit the “Coffee Works” to get some North Queensland coffee.

After that we headed off to an interesting war museum, which is basically an old hanger in the middle of the scrub chock full of old war relics and memorabilia such as bombs, guns, tanks and Neil’s favourite was planes.














We also stumbled onto a gorgeous old Catheral Fig Tree...we have attached a pic taken at the base of the tree!

DAY 21 – SWIMMING

After a fabulous weekend with the Robbos, we decided to head south to cool off in some beautiful water holes.

The first stop was ‘The Boulders” which is near the sugar cane town of Babinda. It is a beautiful confluence of two creeks incising a beautiful granite landscape which resulted in beautiful tors (granite boulders) in crystal clear water.

Afterwards we investigated the gorgeous Josephine Falls which are at the foothills of Queensland’s highest mountain, Mt Bartle Frere. This is also granite country and which resulted in awesome swimming holes.

CAIRNS – THE ROBBOS

Dordie parents (The Robbos) made the trip up to spend the weekend with us. The weather wasn’t fabulous, a little windy and rainy, but it was a lovely temperature which made it comfortable. The weekend started well as we went the “Raw Prawn” on the Esplanade, which is a seafood restaurant specializing in prawns, and they know how to cook a prawn. Neil indulged in Australia’s coat of arms and enjoyed some choice cuts of kangaroo and emu to complement a beautiful cut of crocodile.

A Far North Queensland holiday isn’t complete without a road trip up to Port Douglas and the Mossman Gorge. Port Douglas has definitely developed into a very nice place and the previous week was the scene for the recovery of Steve Irwin after his tragic interactive with the sting-ray. Dordie and Neil had a swim in Mossman Gorge, and water this close to the Equator should not be that cold.

On Saturday afternoon, Neil and Ian Robbo went up the Cairns estuary to go barramundi fishing. Unfortunately it was a bit windy and the barra weren’t biting so there are no tales of stoic heroism or bravery. Fortunately the girls were pessimistic and had some nice tandoori chicken waiting for us when we made it home.

CAIRNS – WEEK 1

The first week in Cairns has flown by quicker than a ticket to Steve Irwin’s Memorial Service. Not a lot has been achieved other than some rest and relaxation. Cairns has developed into a fabulous city in recent years and well worth visiting if the opportunity arises. The upcoming week will see us hopefully get out to the reef for some fishing and snorkeling. Dordie is adamant that she is a better angler than Neil, so it will be fishing for sheep stations off the back of the boat when the weather clears.

A day trip up to the Atherton Tableland which forms Cairn’s hinterland is planned as well, and we will be on the lookout for North Queensland best yoghurt as Dordie is quite the connoisseur.

DAY 14 – CAIRNS, HERE WE COME

We got up at sunrise and went for a magical walk along Mission beach. It’s been some time since we had felt the sand under our feet and just treasured the walk whilst watching the sun come up.

Before we hit the road, we decided to head up the coastline to Bingle Bay. We headed for Garner Beach where crocs & stingers are abundant and the warning signs are everywhere. We didn’t realize that nudists don’t take notice of these warming signs and unfortunately we got an eyeful of a German backpacker’s gross bratwurst in all its glory!

After our experience with the German sausage, we decided to get going on to Cairns. When we reached the Bruce Highway we made a last minute decision to jump off it and take the scenic route into Cairns. We stumbled across a very quaint winery, “Murdering Point Winery” selling exotic tropical wines and walked out with a few bottles. www.murderingpointwinery.com.au

Taking the scenic route paid off and we made our way through some alluring old towns. We saw the regeneration of the area following the carnage from Cyclone Larry in March this year. Cyclone Larry was actually bigger than Hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans last year. All the big trees that still stood were starting to recover and every second house was in disrepair or sported new roofs.

We were very excited to arrive into Cairns as we are staying at Neil’s parents’ apartment which is conveniently located on the Cairns Esplanade near downtown. We unpacked the car and did some well needed washing before relaxing with a Vino. Cairns will be home for a couple of weeks before the assault on the Cape York.

DAY 13 – MISSION TO MISSION BEACH

After an event filled two days on Daydream Island, we made the long drive (600km) north from Airlie Beach to Mission Beach on the Far North Queensland Coast. Mission Beach is on the coast from Tully and is a hidden gem.



Mission Beach is a beautiful spot where the rainforest meets the reef and is well worth a visit if the opportunity arises.

We headed into town for a late bite to eat, and enjoyed local beer and cuisine at a cute restaurant called “Coco Nutz”. Jiminy experienced his first injury of the trip when a stone thrown up from a small car causing the windscreen to chip and crack, right in the line of vision.

DAY 12 – THE RECOVERY & MINOR (more like MINER) CELEBRITY SIGHTING

While relaxing by the pool, recovering from shenanigans from the night before, a familiar face was spotted at the next banana lounge. At first it was hard to place as the Car Racing Team cap and big goatee beard shielded his identity. But Todd’s animated conversation with his wife about the virtues of Australian V8 engines betrayed his identity. It was strange to see one of the Tasmanian miners trapped underground for 2 weeks, up close.

The afternoon was filled with a leisurely fishing trip in a tinnie (small aluminum dingy) with Liz and Dan, Aleesha and Kelly along for the ride. The only catch of the day was a small fish that Kelly caught, but it was a great way to laze the afternoon away.

DAY 11 – THE WEDDING

After a quick ferry ride from Shute Harbour, we arrived on Daydream Island. We were very excited to see our welcome party Lee & Lizzy, who were dancing along with the island’s “Bali Band” who were welcoming guests onto island.

After a few hiccups with our check-in, we madly frocked up and headed to Jacqui and Gareth’s beautiful wedding ceremony at the island’s chapel. Jacqui looked absolutely stunning! We danced the night away at the reception, which was on the north end of the island looking across the channel to North Molle Island. Dord caught up with all the old Brissie gang which was brilliant, as we won’t be seeing them for a while!

Dordie and Neil really enjoyed the wedding and wish Jacqui and Garreth all the best and a happy future.

DAY 10 – AIRLIE BEACH

As Airlie is not that far from Mackay, we took a detour up the Pioneer Valley to Eungalla. The township of Eungella was a real surprise as it sits atop the range looking down the Pioneer Valley to Mackay and is absolutely breathtaking.

We were even lucky enough to see a platypus in one of the creeks. It is one of those ironic things that most Australians never see platypuses in the wild and this was our first. Unfortunately we weren’t quick enough to get a happy snap, so you will just have to take our word for it!
In Airlie, we checked into Club Crocodile for a lazy night, as we had had two long days on the road.

Neil was also still in recovery, with his face now very swollen and bruised.

DAY 9 – MACKAY

Neil woke a little sore following the loss of his wisdom teeth, but it didn’t diminish his enthusiasm to head north! Dord took the wheel and lead the way for the 5 hour drive north to Mackay. It was a laid-back drive north across the Tropic of Capricorn into Rockhampton and the Tropics. We had a few detours along the way and went through the rustic railway town of Ogmore north of Marlborough, to see how life in a country town existed in the 1950s.

We spent a brilliant night in Mackay with old work friends of Dord’s, Kelly and Simon. Kelly cooked up a lip smacking Thai green chicken curry which went down well (even on Neil’s sore mouth). A big thanks to Kel & Simon for making our stay in Mackay so enjoyable & making us feel so welcome!

The following morning, Kelly took us down to the Mackay Marina for breakkie and a sticky around. To our surprise we came across a colossal cruise ship (see photos) moored at the Marina that was breathtaking to watch. We thought Mackay was an impressive city and even considered buying a unit at the Marina after our Gold Lotto win this Saturday night.

DAY 8 - POOR OLD NEIL

Poor old Neil had his final 2 wisdom teeth extracted today. So in saying that, its been a very quiet day indeed.....

DAY 7 - GLADSTONE

After a relaxing couple of days in Noosa, we reloaded Jiminy for the drive up to Gladstone in Central Queensland. It was a bit of a homecoming for Neil (he lived here for the last 6 years) and most of the time has been spent catching up with old work mates and friends. We had a fabulous night on Saturday night....we headed to one of the best (and only) restaurants in Gladstone for its "Deck Launch Party". Free Yellow champagne was flowing until Dord drank the very last drop....literally.

Dr "Chops" Malcolm (the local dentist) welcomed us this morning and it was a very successful visit for Dordie. Whilst, poor old Neil has to go back tomorrow to get his last 2 wisdom teeth yanked out (and another filing!).

We were saddened to hear the news about Steve Irwin the 'Crocodile Hunter' today. A freak accident and our thoughts go out to all his family and friends.

Wednesday we head further north to Mackay on our way to the Whitsunday’s for the weekend. We are looking forward to catching up with some of Dord's old work friends in Mackay on Wednesday night. Then we can't wait to see everyone on Daydream Island for Jackie & Garreth's wedding!

Lee, make sure you have the champagne chilled for our arrival on Friday!

PS. Happy Father’s Day to Bruce & Ian!