This Adventurous Age

Adventures travelling and working around Australia.

Monthly Archives: November 2016


by Leave a comment

1998 Travels June 26

FRIDAY 26 JUNE     WONGA BEACH

John resumed tax and financial work in the morning. This meant that I could not do much in the way of packing, as going in and out the van door, past him, would have been too distracting.Rather than just jotting notes on paper for the accountant, he is determined to do it all on the laptop, making spreadsheets and the like, which has been very time consuming.

In the afternoon, we were able to get onto the packing and organising the switch from van to Truck based camping. At least, we have done this once before, for Fraser Island, so it should – in theory – be a bit easier! But this time, we are going away for a lot of weeks! That means more food supplies, more clothes – and thinking of things we will not be able to buy when remote.

John was feeling under pressure and was not very happy. He is worried that his hip will not stand up to the extended camping period, with its attendant packing and unpacking. I tell him that I am quite capable of doing the brunt of it, but he does not find it easy to be helped like that.

One of the packing tasks was to move the spare wheel that is normally on the back of the van, onto the roof rack of Truck. That way, we will have two spare wheels with us. When we had the van built, we deliberately had them fit it with Defender wheels, so we could use the spare this way.

We also packed the two metal jerry cans that are usually in their carriers on the back of the van (again, installed as part of the build, so their weight when loaded was taken into account in the build) onto the roof rack. They will start out empty and be filled at a time when we may need extra fuel. We always have one plastic 20L jerry can full of diesel in the back of Truck. Heavy work and not good for John’s leg.

I defrosted the fridge, so that when we turn it off again, in the morning, there will be almost no defrost water to accumulate.

I packed our fruit and vegetable supplies by wrapping each piece individually in torn up newspaper, before putting them in the box they will travel in.This method is supposed to make them last longer, but it is a tedious task. And a grubby one that turns hands black from ink.

At the end of the day, there was still a lot to do.

Tea was frozen oven-fried fish, with a few fries for John, as I only had two potatoes left unpacked. During the afternoon, I cooked some chicken maryland pieces for tomorrow.


by Leave a comment

1998 Travels June 25

THURSDAY 25 JUNE    WONGA BEACH

A fine, warm day.

We drove into Mossman for some supplies. On the way, there was much burning of sugar cane, prior to harvesting. I presume this is done to clear out undergrowth and vermin?

06-25-1998 sugar cane burn.jpg

Burning sugar cane, prior to harvest, near Mossman. The foreground area has already been harvested and ploughed over, in preparation for the next planting

John spent the bulk of the day organizing tax paperwork and financial records. It is quite complex this year, because of our ceasing work, termination payments and the like.

I went for a walk on the beach, and did some embroidery.

I went and saw manager T and paid for an extra couple of nights – $12 with no weekly rate. He is happy for us to leave the van stored here, while we are up Cape York. He has promised to keep a very close eye on it and said that it will not cost a great deal. We are quite happy with this arrangement. The van will not be connected to power, of course.

Tea was flake done in a wine/garlic marinade, with salad.


by Leave a comment

1998 Travels June 24

WEDNESDAY 24 JUNE     WONGA BEACH

Another fine day but still with some cloud around. It rained later in the afternoon.

We went back to the Daintree, across on the ferry – more fees – and set out to explore north of where we reached the other day. Followed the Cape Tribulation Road, through Thornton Beach, where the road is back at the coast, and then a bit inland again, until Cape Tribulation. Much of the way, after Cow Bay, was in forest. There was some farmland again around Cape Tribulation village.

Again, my preconceptions were astray. I’d thought Cape Trib would be the main place for tourist activity, but it is nowhere near that of Cow Bay, which was much busier.

06-24-1998 cape trib.jpg

Cape Tribulation

We spent a while walking along the beach by Cape Tribulation. It was surprising how few people there were there – we almost had it to ourselves for much of the time.

06-24-1998 09 cape trib.jpg

The beach at Cape Tribulation

It is such a lovely area. Again, forest right down to the beach. Wide, sandy beaches between the headlands.

06-24-1998 06 Cape Tribulation beach scene.jpg

The rainforest comes right down to the beach

As we were walking, I was amazed – and appalled – to see a big bulk freighter ship, in really close to the land. It seems there is a shipping channel there, inside the Great Barrier Reef. I wonder about the potential for a major environmental disaster when this is permitted. I am quite angry that commerce can be allowed to threaten such a superb environment.

06-24-1998-08-ship-channel-cape-trib

Shipping channel inside the Great Barrier Reef and really close to land at Cape Tribulation

06-24-1998-10-looking-sth-from-cape-trib

Looking south from Cape Tribulation beach – mountains and more mountains

We had social bowls at Mossman at night, so had to leave the Daintree area in time to get cleaned up back at the van, have a quick tea of soup and sardines on toast, and get to Mossman.

As we drove to Mossman, the recent rains had caused waterfalls to come off rocky ledges on the mountain slopes. It made me think that it would be really something to see, after really heavy rains – they would be huge. The Wet season up here must be truly spectacular.

Because of the rain and dew, the bowling green was wet, the grass was comparatively long, and it was really hard to play on. We both had  sore arms by the end of the night, from the effort required.

Going to sleep here, with the sound of the sea nearby, is blissful.


by Leave a comment

1998 Travels June 23

TUESDAY 23 JUNE     WONGA BEACH

Another fine day.

For a couple of weeks, I have had an intermittent toothache of an upper tooth, to one side. It is getting worse. Yesterday, I phoned the dentist in Mossman and he fitted me in this morning. I felt I was lucky that he did so, on such short notice.

So, it was a drive into Mossman, this morning. John got diesel – 72cpl. Picked up mail from the PO.

The verdict is that there is nerve deterioration in the tooth, and when we get back from the Cape, I will need to have a root canal filling done, in Cairns. In the meantime, as there is some infection, I have to take amoxicillin for a week. I am not altogether happy about heading up the Cape with the issue unresolved, but there is nothing I can do, short of delaying our Cape trip even further – and that is not on!

Had the script filled in Mossman, bought some groceries, then back to the van.

06-20-1998 sugar cane near mossman.JPG

Sugar cane flowering, near Mossman

After lunch, John did some fishing off the beach, with no luck.

I made a lamb shank and vegie soup – one of John’s favourites.


by Leave a comment

1998 Travels June 22

MONDAY 22 JUNE     WONGA BEACH

It was a better day today. There was quite a bit of cloud about, but much of the day was sunny – and it was dry.

We went driving, again. Up to Daintree, and across the river on the ferry. This is not a free service – it cost us $7 each way. There was a little queue but we fitted on the first load that went across after we’d paid.

Once over the river, we drove to Cape Kimberley, which is not far north of the mouth of the Daintree River. There is a lovely stretch of beach between the river mouth and the Cape and we walked for a while on that, just taking in the beauty of the beach with the mountains behind, and the forest coming right down to the beach.

Drove back to the “main” road north and on to our next detour – to Cow Bay. There is a village a little back from the coast, geared mostly to tourist accommodation. One of our annual school camps used to stay at the Crocodylus place there, and my friend G used to talk about how beautiful it was up here.

06-22-1998 beach at Cow Bay.jpg

On the beach at Cow Bay

Had our lunch at the Cow Bay beach , then went for a walk on that beach, too. I noticed signs warning of the danger of stingers in the water in the summer, and a container on a pole, inside which was a bottle of vinegar, which is the immediate treatment for stinger attack.

06-22-1998 03 vinegar store for stingers.jpg

Stinger warning sign and vinegar store

That was as far as we had time to do justice to, today, but there is more for another day.

I was surprised, once we got north of the ferry, at how much cleared and farming land there was along the roads. Somehow, after all the fuss about the Daintree when the Bloomfield Road was being put through, I had a mental picture of total wilderness.

There were a lot of “For Sale” signs on blocks; I suspect it might be very easy to fall in love with the idea of a tropical, alternative, lifestyle, in these lush surrounds – then get quickly disillusioned by the realities of wet seasons, cyclones, insects, rapid growth of weeds, and the lack of any grid electricity north of the river.

There were crowds of backpacker types about, and much traffic, especially of mini mokes and similar, hired by the young visitors. There is certainly no shortage of accommodation options and hostels in these parts – even though the road is mostly unsealed, north of the ferry.

Back over on the ferry – we only had to wait while it came across from the other side.

Tea was a chicken breast and vegie stir fry.


by Leave a comment

1998 Travels June 21

SUNDAY 21 JUNE     WONGA BEACH

There were heavy showers of rain off and on all day. Overall, there was quite a lot of rain.

Despite the weather, we played bowls in the afternoon. I think the bowlers up this way must be used to dodging the rain! I loved the setting of the bowls club, with cane fields around, and the green, jungle-y mountains in the background. The club has some photos, taken late in a day, showing its building with cane fires really high and fierce as its backdrop! Would be something to see. I did not play well on the wet and heavy green.

The drive from Wonga to Mossman is really varied and pretty, mostly through farmland – but always with those wonderful high mountains behind.

We had cheese omelettes for tea, with fries.


by Leave a comment

1998 Travels June 20

SATURDAY 20 JUNE     WONGA BEACH

Today is another sightseeing day, for me – since I have been signed up for bowls tomorrow! It was overcast, but warm, all day.

We drove north, this time, to Daintree, through a mix of farmland and forest. Daintree village is tucked in a big bend of the wide Daintree River. It has a real counter-culture atmosphere about it – in a nice way. It is a quaint little village. But not too remote, because I was able to buy the Australian.

We spent some time in the wood turners’ gallery, which had excellent products – inspirational for John. Some items were very tempting. Saw a possibility to buy for John’s niece for her wedding present. There were some things made from a most unusual timber, light on the outside, but a vivid orange on the inside. We were told it was conkerberry – have never heard of it.

We went down the hill and looked at the famed Daintree River. There were Daintree cruises on offer, but we weren’t sure we’d see much that couldn’t be seen from land.

Drove alongside the river, for some distance, upstream, to the ford that is the start of the CREB Track – a rough track that goes north towards Cooktown. Not for us! We had lunch at the ford and watched a 4WD group crossing it.

Then went back through Daintree and off in the other direction, to where the vehicle ferry crosses the Daintree River. This is the only means of access to the areas north of the river – Cow Bay, Cape Tribulation, Thornton Beach, and the Bloomfield Track that goes north to Cooktown. There is no bridge. The ferry works on a cable.

06-22-1998 01 daintree ferry.jpg

The people and vehicle ferry crossing the Daintree River

We visited the Croc Shop that is set up by the ferry crossing, selling souvenirs mostly.

Watched the ferry going back and forth. The river is wide at this point, not far from its mouth, and very suggestive of lurking crocs. It is surprising how quickly the river becomes big, downstream of Daintree Village, considering how small it is at the CREB Track ford. I presume it is tidal in this lower section.

Lazed around for the rest of the afternoon, at camp.

Tea was prawns and avocado.


by Leave a comment

1998 Travels June 19

FRIDAY 19 JUNE     WONGA BEACH

Woke to a morning that was warm, but with high cloud.

I went for a wander around the park, before John got up. I got talking to T and mentioned the nocturnal screaming that had really worried us. He laughed his head off – when he got himself under control again, he explained it was a bird! The beach thick knee (curlew) is quite common in these parts, he said. Don’t see them all that often, but certainly hear them at night. I felt just a little foolish! But it is the scariest bird I have ever heard! Thank the mercies that we didn’t call the police.

Later in the morning, we drove into Mossman. John wanted to investigate the bowls club scenario. Yes – there is one. He booked us in to play on Sunday.

I have read a lot about the beauty of the Mossman Gorge, so we went to explore that. There were lots of other tourists there, with the same idea. We could not do the longer walk in the rainforest, which was what we’d intended – because the suspension bridge access to it was closed. The river current was too fast, the rocks too slippery, to risk John crossing that way, as some were doing. So we settled for the shorter walk, along the river. It was beautifully green and lush, and the background sounds of the river on its rocky bed was very peaceful. Had our lunch there, in the picnic area.

06-19-1998 01 mossman gorge.jpg

The Mossman River and Mossman Gorge

06-19-1998 05 Mossman Pool.jpg

A more tranquil section of the river at Mossman Gorge

After reading – and hearing – so much about the Mossman Gorge, I felt rather cheated that we had not been able to experience it in full.

Drove further south again, to Port Douglas. It was definitely not our sort of place, and I was glad that we hadn’t gone to the nearby caravan park. It seemed very much a place for the “wanna-be’s”, the pseudo glitz and glam mob. Every second shop seemed to be a food outlet.

John saw a very rude T-shirt that he wanted to buy for K – but I persuaded him not to!

We went up to the lookout, had a walk around the foreshore areas, and the boat docks. Saw the White House, where V and B went on their honeymoon.

Checked at the PO for any mail. John thought his younger daughter would be writing to him here, because at one stage we’d thought we might stay here. There was none.

After seeing Port Douglas, we are very happy to be staying at Wonga.

Tea was frozen, oven-bake fish, which I cooked in the frypan outside, with fries. I think this is better than the often too greasy fish and chips we have been buying lately.

John phoned R. She had not gotten round to writing to him.


by Leave a comment

1998 Travels June 18

THURSDAY 18 JUNE   CAIRNS TO WONGA BEACH   94kms

Again, an uneventful pack up and departure. We are getting to be so good!

I am pleased to be leaving Cairns. As previously said, it has not provided the interest that we expected. We have done little walking and no cycling. The road past the caravan park is a very busy one, and I have not felt like braving the traffic even to run errands; there really has been nowhere to ride.

It was not a long stage to Wonga Beach, but it was an extremely scenic one, as the highway hugged the coast and wound around the bays and headlands for most of the way. We had already been as far as Wangetti, but the rest did not disappoint. The lush tropical greenery comes right down to the sea, in places.

It seems the sugar cane harvest has commenced, in these parts. Around Mossman, we came into another sugar region, and for a while trundled along behind a big truck carrying sugarcane.  There is a sugar mill at Mossman, which town appeared to have all the basic services we might need.

06-18-1998 sugar cane harvest beginning near Mossman.jpg

Two forms of sugar cane transport – little cane railway and big road truck – near Mossman. Sugar cane growing right up to the road – no fences

I had chosen Wonga Beach as probably a good base from which to explore the Daintree area. My Top Tourist booklet showed a good looking caravan park there. We are not quite ready to set off for the Cape yet, as the end of the financial year is approaching, and we need to get together the paperwork required for our accountant. Some of this is yet to arrive. I am hoping that Wonga will provide us with more interest than Cairns did.

As we came towards what seemed to be Wonga Beach, saw a sign pointing to the right, indicating the hotel and caravan park. John swung a last-minute right turn, with only a little grumble. The caravan park was down at the end of this road, and we pulled up outside and went in to book ourselves in. The park did not look as well groomed as Top Tourist parks usually do, but this is the Far North, after all. We booked in for a week and paid the fees of $11 a night, with the 7th night free. Pretty good, we were thinking. Then it dawned, when the lady didn’t want my discount card – this was not, in fact, the Top Tourist park! It was a small, council-run one that had not been mentioned in any of the information I’d read. There are TWO caravan parks in the tiny hamlet of Wonga Beach.

What a fortunate mistake this turned out to be! We had a nice, big, site, although the ground was sandy gravel. There were shady trees all over. The park fronts right onto the most wonderful beach, through a screen of palm trees and low bush, so the sound of the surf at high tide was close by. The amenities, though rather elderly, were clean and adequate. The managing couple – C and T – were very friendly, very helpful, and ran happy hour at their area every afternoon.

06-18-1998-cairns-to-mossman

After setting up, we went for a walk on the beach. This stretches for kilometres in both directions, with superb views north and south. With the tide down, the sand was firm to walk on. This is already a big improvement on where we have been! Although John would have liked better TV! But it is a rare event for John to be satisfied with the signal and picture he gets.

I made a pork and vegie stir fry for dinner.

In the late evening, we were sitting in the van, reading, when we were suddenly frightened by  a fearsome, loud screaming, not far away. It sounded like someone was being really hurt. We couldn’t see anything untoward, looking out the van windows, and no-one in the park seemed to be moving about. Decided it must be happening at one of the houses across the road from the park, but we were too scared to go out and look around, or do anything – just hoped that someone else in the camp ground would take action, if needed. The screaming stopped after a minute or two and was not repeated.

We did sleep well, despite some lingering concern about the screaming, lulled off by the sound of the waves.


by Leave a comment

1998 Travels June 17

WEDNESDAY 17 JUNE    CAIRNS

Today was a rushed one. There was quite a bit to be done, and John was determined to go to bowls in the afternoon! He still is feeling the cold’s effects,  but not that much!

Back into the city to collect our scripts, as there was not time yesterday, after the film. There was a glitch. I’d assumed I could just get three months’ worth, with repeat vouchers for the rest. They didn’t tell me yesterday that there are no repeat vouchers on Reg 24 scripts – it is all or nothing. When that was sorted, they said the order would not be ready until the afternoon.

To a film shop to buy a stock of film to take north. The one I went to yesterday did not have enough of the brand and type of film I wanted.

Did a final mail check at the PO – not being sure which family members might have sent us mail directly here, rather than through the home mail bag system.

Back to the fish co-op to stock up with prawns, squid and flake – $26 worth.

John went off to bowls. I cleaned the van and did as much packing up as I could.

When John got back from bowls, it was a quick race back to the chemist to collect six months worth of our various medications – my blood pressure pills, HRT patches, John’s anti-inflammatories. Plus aspirin. That little lot cost us $238!

Equally quick whizz around the supermarket – a big shop for supplies for the Cape trip, but only the items that will keep. I am not quite sure yet where the perishables will come from. It was my most expensive grocery shop of the trip, to date – $166. The budget is taking a massive hit, this week!

Tea was a chicken and kumara stir fry, with honey and sesame seeds.

Early night – I was exhausted!