Townsville-Cardwell-Cairns

Townsville

Following our stay on Magnetic Island, we were invited to stay a further 4 days in Townsville with family. In the past we stayed on the foreshore, so it was great to see Townsville from a different side. Staying in the suburb of Douglas, we walked along the nearby Ross River daily, and we explored nearby Mount Stuart, the granite mountain behind Townsville which holds their communications towers.

What a beautiful suburb

Diverse River Walk sculptures, didn’t dare show you the view of the doggy from the other side

Another member of the Large Snake family of NQ

Mt Stuart, overlooks the city and is just behind the University and the suburb of Douglas


We could walk in front of the towers for a few hundred metres before the sheer granite drop off edge

Looking for a cache

Couldn’t resist this little cache on the top of Mt Stuart

We also spent the day in Paluma NP, at Big Crystal Creek (checked out the campground here too), heaps of swimming holes, we will be back here with the van.  Little Crystal Creek, beautiful, peaceful creek, and historical bridge

At the top of the range in Paluma through rainforest are McClellands

and Witts Lookouts, Witts Lower Lookout had the better view, and we were greeted by a local..wow, what a fabulous and windy drive up

Always vigilant on our walks ...the local resident snoozing at the lookout

Very old town first settled in the 1930s, signs need updating.....or not! Also was home of Australia’s first motel

Cardwell

After our goodbyes, we continued on 2 hours to Cardwell for 3 nights.  We did the forest drive to the natural spas, but they were dry, and then to the 3 lookouts overlooking Cardwell, Hinchinbrook Island and Harbour.

Daily we walked the length of the foreshore and spotted a huge crocodile cruising up and down about 20m from the shore.

Definitely no swimming here, a local called it croc capital of NQld

The humidity is picking up and there are not so many travellers on the roads heading north now.

Our bird of the week was spotted in the tree above our van each day, the Helmeted Friarbird, reminded me of something from Jurassic Park

Cairns

Another 2 hours north and we finally reach Cairns. The scenery dramatically changes north of Cardwell to lush green fields, more cane and the Great Dividing Range towers over the highway. The 2 highest mountains in Qld are both found along this stretch.  We are excited to finally arrive and see Craig, Sara, Ayla and our favourite Kelpie Lucy.

We have parked the van in Lake Placid Caravan Park on the Barron River for now, and look forward to our next set of adventures here in North Qld. 

All this scenery only 20 minutes from the city centre and foreshore.

Lake Placid notorious for crocs, is part of the Barron River and on our morning walk we have spotted 3 bull nose sharks each about 1metre in length

Barron River Gorge at the Power Station ..wait till the wet season hits us..looking down stream

Looking upstream towards Kuranda


Derek added up his weekly walking kilometres to fund raise on behalf of Brighton’s community fundraising ventures

Enjoying family time,

had Ayla for the morning which included a trip to the Aquarium and a play and smoothy at Muddies

Even though we are Covid-free here, we don’t know for how long, and we don’t know when our travels around Australia let alone internationally will continue. We are coming into a hot, humid and wet summer season, but there is still so much to see with the reef, rainforest and savannah, and we are planning a trip to the “tip” of Australia (just another 1000km up the road from Cairns) as soon as the wet season is over.