It was quite hot again.
In the late morning, drove to Stratford and practiced bowls for a couple of hours.
After a late lunch, John watched the Games. I had a nap, then went for a swim in the late afternoon – it was very pleasant.
Tea was sausages, potatoes and asparagus, and strawberries.
These interludes between adventures make for short entries here, and a lack of photos!
It was a hot day and a little humid.
After breakfast, drove to the city. Called in at Stratford Bowls club on the way for John to see if it was ok for us to practice there, and it is. He booked us in for a game there on Wednesday.
At the PO, collected mail from R with John’s Fathers Day present – a book: Great Working Dog Stories. She also sent lots of ALP election propaganda!
I left a film for processing and picked it up after an hour.
We drove over to the fish co-op and bought some tropical fish fillets. I bought groceries, wine and beer, and got some cash money – all very mundane! We spent about $120 on these supplies.
After lunch, John was back to his TV watching. I dried some rather elderly Roma tomatoes – they were only 99c a kilo and dried well.
I went for a long swim in the afternoon. It is nice to be able to swim regularly. That is one benefit of being here, rather than at Wonga Beach.
Tea was fried rice.
V phoned to finish our conversation from yesterday. She wants me to send her a bread recipe – being about 100kms from the nearest shops has motivated her in hitherto unthought-of ways
John alternated between watching the Games on TV and playing his computer game.
I did two loads of washing.
After lunch, I had a long swim and laze about in the very nice pool here.
From our van, can see the train to Kuranda, snaking around, high up on a nearby hill. I took a couple of photos, using the zoom lens.
The train to Kuranda – on the trip up the range
Tea was steak, fries and salad.
Phoned V. I have to time it so that she is still over at work, where the phone is. And allow for the time difference between here and WA. She and B are going to Perth soon, for a few days of leave. She has just received my letter, written after the Cape trip. She sounds well and happy. They do not have any TV there – lucky her! – and she is not missing it.
I cycled to the shop for the papers. It is just under a km, each way.
John watched the Commonwealth Games in the morning, and at night. He played bowls in Cairns in the afternoon. He was happy with the quality of the bowling at this club.
I read the papers and did some embroidery.
I made an Irish stew for tea. I use lamb forequarter chops for this, so it is usually a fairly economic meal.
John played his computer game into the early hours of this morning, so he slept in. Then he watched the US Open tennis semi final for the rest of the morning.
I dried some of the bananas and pineapple we’d bought at Mossman, in my little electric dehydrator. They make great snacks – better than lollies.
After lunch we drove to one of the bowls clubs, where John arranged games. This is a different one to where we played last time, at Stratford and is more in town.
Called in at a book exchange and got lots of books – I am anticipating doing lots of reading, whilst John watches sport on TV. Spent $21 on books.
After we got back, went for a walk up the road beside the river and then along a bush track for a little way.
We are able to obtain bought fish and chips for Friday tea again, now, and bought them from a shop at Smithfield. Cost $9 – reasonable.
John phoned his nephew about K’s car insurance, then I phoned V, but she was busy and couldn’t talk. Whilst we were on the Cape trip, they had left Perth because they’d gained work at a little tourist operation in the Shark Bay area. There is an old telegraph station at a place called Hamelin Pool, where a camp ground has been established. Tourists visit there for the history, and to look at the stromatolite formations that grow in the sea there. B is working around the campground and doing general maintenance. V is doing tours of the old telegraph station and serving morning and afternoon teas. I gather that the scones served are made by the lady manager! V and B are only assistants to the main managers. They have an old caravan provided there, for accommodation. They are pretty well half way between Carnarvon and Geraldton, and so rather remote. But she likes it there. Remote would not worry my daughter!
It was still raining when we got up. That made it a little easier to leave – I think?
Our pack up was straightforward and we had a pleasant, calm, drive to Cairns. The scenery along that coastal road is so brilliant. We stopped at Mossman to stock up on fruit and vegies at the roadside stall there – spent $24.
We had pre-booked at Lake Placid Caravan Park, and were given a very nice site with a cement annexe slab and big, shady mango trees nearby. This site is so much better than the one we had at the park we stayed at, earlier, in Cairns. The park has emptied out a lot, from when we saw it when visiting H and M here, so guests are spaced out nicely. Our fees are $100 a week, which works out at just over $14 a night.
We set up for a lengthy stay.
Lake Placid Caravan Park is across a road from the Barron River, and it is quite “bushy” in the area around it. However, there is a general store type shop not far down the road, and we are fairly close to the big newish Smithfield shopping centre. The road past the caravan park is a dead end, a bit further up, so it is a quiet place.
I had a dentist appointment at 3.30pm to have the root canal filling finished off. This cost another $320! It has certainly been an expensive exercise.
On the way back to camp, got some groceries – $27 worth. Now that we are back where shops are conveniently near, will have to be a bit careful with our spending. That said, John bought a power adapter and some TV cable for $21.
I made zucchini slice for tea – can cook this in an enamel pie plate inside the electric frypan, on the table outside the van.
Phoned K after tea to report our location, and had a long conversation. P has had another car accident (she wrote off a car of K’s a couple of years back). J offered to contact a nephew to get assistance about the car insurance, for K. Apart from that, all is ok at home.
This is our last day here, and I am quite sad about it.
We drove up to the Daintree Village and looked through the wood gallery and other shops. John bought a small piece of turning conkerberry for $2. It comes from Hughenden – not a tropical timber, but definitely one from the open savanna woodland country.
Refuelled at Wonga – 70cpl.
Did some pre-departure preparations – took down the awning roof, packed away the outside furniture.
Part of our van is just visible behind the trees – so close to the beach
We went and had a final happy hour with C and T. Had quite an extensive chat with them about their “new” life, caretaking here. T says the only thing that worries him about the laid back life style here is the prospect of a tidal surge or tsunami from a cyclone. The idea of strong winds do not concern him, but big waves do. I can see why – the campground is at the level of the beach. T pointed out the narrowness of the coastal plain and lack of roads to get away from the coast. Hmmmm, yes – do see his point. He cited the 1899 cyclone, a Category 5 one, that wrecked the pearling fleet in Princess Charlotte Bay – the coast near Silver Plains – where the tidal surge was over 40 foot high and reached 5 kms inland ! A scary thought.
Tea was pumpkin soup I made earlier in the afternoon, then pasta with garlic crumbs.
To farewell us, on this last night, it rained.
Tomorrow, the van will move on, for the first time in three months. It too must be feeling like this place is home! Maybe when somewhere starts to feel this comfortable, it really is time to move on? But the mountains and the coast here really are magic. It has been great. Coming to this park was such a fortuitous accident.
John slept in till late. I wonder why? I sat outside, as I always do for breakfast, then stayed there reading and sewing.
We walked on the beach in the afternoon.
Some beach critter calls this home
John drove to the hotel for some wine. We seem to consume quite a bit of this!
There was rain in the late afternoon and through into the night.
It was a quiet day. But these are so enjoyable and I feel so relaxed and content.
We cycled around the Wonga area in the morning, for a look. Rode 7kms. I am enjoying riding again, now the face is getting better.
After lunch, went for a very long walk on the beach. The tide was ultra low. There is still some of that smell around, but it is not so bad. T said it was from coral spawning! I actually never thought about how corals reproduce, before. The smell was certainly very noticeable, at its worst.
Low tide. We have some cloud most days now.
Tea was cottage pie, made with minced beef.
John stayed up nearly all night playing his KKND computer game. I am managing to sleep with the light on and the game noises as background sound!
We had a quiet morning. John cut my hair, which was getting very shaggy. He did a pretty good job of it.
We both went to bowls at Mossman, in the mid afternoon. I never tire of the superb drive from here to Mossman. Initially, the road follows the coast, really closely – in parts, it is just behind the beach. Then it turns inland at Rocky Point and goes through rich cropland. Always, there is that dramatic range of mountains as the inland backdrop.
We were put into different triples teams. John played well, but my performance was mediocre. However, John’s team won the day and mine came second – with no help from me. We won two meat trays. John’s had steaks in, whereas mine had chops, but we both scored sausages and bacon. There were lots of other goodies in there too, like eggs. That is the first thing I have ever won at bowls.
The very respectable meat tray prizes we won
We phoned S – she leaves next Friday for her PNG posting in Port Moresby.
Late tea was home made hamburgers.
This Adventurous Age 