Journey Home

I am a very skilled procrastinator, not to mention known for being a bit lazy, so I have some valid excuse for not getting on with another, and probably final, blog post for this journey. But it just has to be done. It is a bit like getting behind the wheel to drive in Queensland, knowing that the road will be shared by some of the worst drivers in Australia. If you want to get somewhere, the job must be done.

Driving to terrorise must be part of the training requirement in Queensland as in just one example, we were overtaken by a driver on learner plates, over double lines nearing the crest of a hill, and at well over the speed limit. We have been startled many times as cars came through red lights, cut us off or flashed through a stop sign. Overtaking over double lines was so common we just expect it to happen. So it was with relief when we passed the sign that said “Welcome to New South Wales.”

Well, there has been quite a bit of tar under the truck since our last post. We had a restful couple of days at Port Douglas to put in a mental frame for the long journey home. From Port Douglas to Atherton is a long, steep climb, but the reward is the lovely highland country of the Atherton Tablelands. John had been feeling a bit unwell for a few days, so while the Menn laid low, Jen and I did some exploring around Atherton – out to the Millaa Millaa Falls which was an interesting drive through the dairy farms of the region. It just happened that the road was shared by cycling event which had priority over the roads, or rather, the lanes we were on. Eventually we were allowed to slip in between two groups of riders for a couple of kilometres till we reached the turn off for the Falls. It was well worth the drive: the cycle event had deterred all the tourists and we enjoyed the serene calm of the rainforest, the falls and the river. We called in to the Gallo Cheese factory for a platter and a coffee. We were not disappointed and certainly recommend a visit if you ever get to the region.

However, the main reason for this part of the journey was to visit the Undurra Lava Tubes. I think it was Enid from our church who told us this was a “must see.” And Enid is never wrong! We had two days at the Undurra Discovery Park which included a tour of part of the tubes. It was an astonishing revelation for us to see these vast basalt tubes. 

A couple of days later we found ourselves back at Townsville for a few days. “Found ourselves”… well not by accident of course… we actually drove there! We enjoyed exploring this pretty large regional city, attending to chores, playing some golf, visiting Magnetic Island, and lashing out for a great meal at one of Townsville’s finest restaurants. We all agreed that we needed a good meal out to mark the drawing of our shared time on the road. We still have a few days to go, but the next towns are unlikely to offer much.

Charters Towers, for example, has some really interesting history and some fine buildings of its historic past, but it is also a town which ceases to offer anything after noon on Saturday for the rest of the weekend. We guessed that the local Uniting Church might be open on the Sunday, so we we drove into town for the service. They were a nice group of people and the minister seemed a nice guy. His preaching was, let’s say, energetic! What was a bit lacking in substance he made up for with his enthusiastic “…this is really good stuff!” (We are a bit spoilt at Tuggeranong.) I have to be cautious, as I am sure my fellow congregants back at Tuggeranong Uniting wander away from services that I take, shaking their heads. At least I am enthusiastic, but I won’t be drawn into claiming “this is really good stuff!”

It was still a long drive to Carnarvon Gorge, so we had a night at Emerald, the details of which escape me. At Carnarvon, we had booked sites at the Sandstone Park Camp which is on a ridge overlooking some beautiful valleys and with great views to some of the canyon walls. Over lunch we planned the next couple of days and went on one of the short walks to limber up for something more adventurous on the next day. It was pleasant to stroll through the forest. Jenny and Anne were bold enough to cross a smallish river over some carefully placed stepping-stones. I videoed them crossing, naughtily hoping for a fall. But although it was a bit inelegant as they cautiously made their way across, they did it without disaster, though Jen mad a good effort to fall into the cool waters, but somehow saved herself. Perhaps the memory of the boomerang throw with sideways somersault and pike enabled her to keep her nerve.

We had thoughts of a campfire dinner, as our site had a well-made camp fireplace of stones. The main thing lacking was wood to burn and of course we were unable to take any bits of wood from the national park area. The area around the campsite had been picked clean, but we managed to gather enough for a small fire. In the end we decided to defer the fire till the following day when we might have further opportunity to gather some wood. Unfortunately, around midnight we discerned the patter of a few drops of rain that gathered intensity during the night, and by morning had become a severe storm with pelting rain and winds lashing and buffeting our little home on wheels. A van opposite us had its awning ripped apart, and ours was in danger of following suit. The ground had turned to mud and large pools of water. It was clear that the weather had set in and the forecast was more of the same for a few days.

John and Anne decided to stick it out for the day but we elected to cut our stay short and head off and get home a day early. We felt bad leaving them, but there was no way we could assist them. As luck would have it, the day did clear a bit later on and there were some moments of blue sky for them.

We made our cautious way out, realising that there were a few river crossings. Only one presented a problem with water half a metre deep and running at considerable speed. We paused at the crossing and I managed to speak to a driver waiting on the other side. He felt confident of crossing but as he was going to have to cross both ways, did not want to find himself stranded for the day. We knew that the road was fine, as it was a concrete bed, and the chap said that a couple of utes with vans had crossed without any problems, so we decided to give it a go. It was impossible for us to turn around, and as the battery in the Suzuki had died, we could not separate our vehicles. Our vehicles are quite heavy so we felt okay with attempting the crossing. And it was fine. The bruises from Jenny’s grip on my arm are starting to recede.

This was Thursday, and our plan was to get to Wangi Wangi on Sunday, stay a couple of days with Tony and Janet, get the battery fixed, and be home on Wednesday, a day earlier than planned and about a week earlier than our intention when we left for the trip in mid-May. There were, for us, longish drives each day with stops at Miles and Stanthorpe in Queensland and Tamworth in NSW.

As I write, we are safely at Wangi. Jenny and Janet have retired for the night and Tony is in his study writing a piece for the Australian Society of Authors. The NRMA has already been to replace the battery which was totally dead. I have ordered a solar panel trickle charger, which will eliminate the problem of slowly draining the car battery while the car is being towed. Why did I not think of this before!

Aha – it is midnight so I can tick off my daily challenge of Wordle, Nerdle, Quordle, Worldle, Octordle and Sedecordle. I am keen to keep my records intact – or at least from getting worse!

So this post will draw this journey to a close. Thanks for sharing the trip with us in this vicarious way. We will be stay at homes for a while – until October when we have a short trip to South Australia.

Cheers for now

Jenny and Bill