Ant’s Wrap Up…

Well after 18mths in the planning, including bbq meetings and powerpoint presentations, it’s all come to an end…And as much as I love my own bed, I’m feeling a little ‘all over the shop’ with all these luxuries at my fingertips, as well as actually missing the ‘remoteness’ of some of the places we stayed.

Over the next few weeks, each of the trip participants will provide their own, no holds barred, without influence or threat of being left at home in the future, trip account, ideally in the following format. I’ll kick things off for now though…

HIGHLIGHTS…

Wow, after researching and planning for so long, for me there’s so many so I’ll just list them in no preferential order:

Hitting the first corrugations of the PDR, Bramwell Station, our first water crossing into Eliot Falls, Eliot/Twin and Fruitbat Falls, our day trip on the Tele Track,  stopping for fuel at the famous roadhouses I’d read so much about, the sunsets of Seisia, the fishing at Weipa, Harper covered in dirt and learning to crawl, the kids having fun on the beach at Seisia, the trip up the Daintree, Cooktown, the fantastic campsite at Airlie Beach, and of course – signing and hanging one of our ‘Riff2Tip’ shirts from the roof of the Lions Den Hotel…There’s surely heaps more, but they’re the stand outs for me…

ttps://rifftotip.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/dsc_0576.jpg”> Our little piece of history @ Lions Den Hotel, Helenvale…[/caption]

LOWLIGHTS…

The whole trip was exciting for me, but the following moments left me a little flat:

1) The passing of Clare’s Nan – Completely unexpected, and affected all of us. Nan was much loved and still missed by all of us. Her legacy lives on through our little gem Harps, who shares her middle name (Lola) with Nan. Having to farewell Clare, Harps and E at Bamaga Airport was very difficult, and despite being surrounded by the others, I felt a little lonely without my trusty navigator beside me…

2) Dropping Ethans iPhone at The Tip – The hype of reaching the top of Australia engulfed all of us. Unfortunately for me, it was a bit too overwhelming, resulting in my fine motor skills dropping off and me accidentally dropping Ethans beloved iPhone on the rocks, smashing the screen just as we were leaving The Tip. Definitely put a bit of a downer on what should have finished as the most fantastic of  afternoons…

3) The Prado breaking down – After hailing its praises for the days following the toughest roads and water crossings she’d seen, we got back safely to Cairns. Only for her not to start and get us away on time. The worst bit was breaking up the group, with Team DMax on a tight schedule due to work and school commitments, they had to depart Cairns and head for Sydney, whilst we waited for a replacement alternator…

GIVEN MORE TIME I’D…

Plan our days a bit better, ie not so long in the car…more time seeing the sights. On paper we didn’t account for refreshment stops and Harper playtime. Turned our planned 5-6 hour days, into 7-9 hour days causing us to arrive late at our camp sites. Regrettably, we missed quite a few sights along the way as a result…Maybe one day we’ll get back up there…

BEST MEMORY…

Without a doubt, reaching the top of the hill that looks down onto ‘that sign’. I almost teared up at this point. Having researched endlessly, watched hours of videos and read others’ trip accounts and having travelled thousands of kilometres, to finally be standing there was almost too overwhelming. I hope one day the kids realise and appreciate what it took to get there…

es.wordpress.com/2014/10/dsc_0144.jpg”> After a 15min walk up a hill, you reach this point…[/caption]

THE PRTHE PRADO…

What a beast…Having bought her second hand just over 12mths ago, I suppose she was a bit of an unknown entity. Sure we checked and double checked everything before we left, but there was still some blind faith that accompanied her. Having travelled the corrugated roads that we did, I have no doubt that getting Paul and his team at Heasmans Steering to fit a set of Bilstein B6 offroad shocks and the Polyair rear bags to the Prado got us safely through.

For those that have travelled on corrugated roads (some were 100mm high), you know what I’m talking about…For those yet to do so, make sure you have everything strapped down, and your false teeth secured…It’s relentless and punishing on the car. I really am amazed at how well the Prado went, and with a little tip from the towie in Coen (travel on the opposite side of the road if safe – corrugations form the opposite way) we got through without any noticeable damage to the suspension…Despite Clare launching her skywards after hitting a sneakily hidden dust hole…

THE CAMPER…

I succinctly recall collecting the brand new, never seen a dirt road or weather, camper. I had no idea how she would look after the trip…With the exception of our day trip along the OTT, the camper went everywhere the Prado would go. The camper seemed to handle the tracks and corrugations well, although she got a little loose on some of the sharper, corrugated corners. Probably driver rather than the trailer though…After the water crossing into Eliot Falls (water 3/4 up the wheel arch), she only had some minor damp to the battery compartment. The remainder of the trailer, including the main tub, stayed dry. The seals also seemed to do a good job, with just a hint of dust getting in under the front.

om/2014/10/img_1910.jpg”> Before…[/caption]

A novelty for us at the start, bec

A novelty for us at the start, became a bit onerous  towards the end of the 32 days. Predominantly the setting up of the additional kids room and annex, especially on the snappy one nighters, was a bit painful. Yes we did get quicker, and either Clare or myself could do it on our own if need be, but that extra 15-20mins ate into the sunset, and refreshment time…With the outer skin covered in red dust, setting up and pack up meant covering yourself and clothes in the red stuff…After a while, you just gave up and spent the whole holiday pretty much with a red tinge in all of your clothes (which still exists 2 weeks later…)

It was great to experience hiring the camper trailer without the sizeable outlay in purchasing our own. As we travelled along, Clare and I spitballed a ‘wishlist’ for a camper. For me, the main difference would be for a larger tent size (12ft at least) to accommodate our family, without any additional rooms, etc. A walkup at the foot of the bed was Clare’s ‘must have’, after having me climb over the top of her in and out of bed to feed Harps…After having my heart set on buying a soft floor camper for the last 18mths, I dunno now…maybe something like a wind up Jayco, or similar might serve us better. I guess we’ll see….

WHAT NEXT?

Who knows…Two weeks later and the garage still resembles a camping store. We’ll catch our breath, see in the new year, and I suppose start planning for a 2015 trip…There’s so many places I’d still like to drag our little family to. The High Country, Ayres Rock, The Simpson, Cameron Corner, Kakadu, Fraser…Maybe a ‘big’ trip every second year, with a couple of NSW based in between…

A big THANKYOU to our parents. Your encouragement, assistance with the house and the odd $ here and there, allowed us to get up and back safely…

A huge THANKYOU to Paul, Katreen and Brooke…Without a doubt, my dream of going to the tip may not have come to fruition, without their sense of adventure, trip experience and willingness to be our travel buddies…An additional thanks goes to Paul…Despite my lack of 4WD knowledge and experience before the trip, I felt safe at all times knowing full well he had experienced the Cape before, and wouldn’t put our family in danger or leave us stuck at the side of the road…Thanks mate!!

Even BIGGER THANKYOU to Clare, Ethan, Ben and Harps for sharing my dream, putting up with the endless hours in the car, bumpy roads, dirty clothes and the odd ‘meltdown’ – without you all the trip wouldnt have been the same…

I know it sounds corny, but after going back through our photos whilst writing this, it hit home – we really do live in a beautiful country…Don’t put it off, or wait until you’re too old to enjoy it – get out and see it…..

Anthony

Day 32 – Emerald Beach to Home (via Nabiac)

Thank goodness we opted for the cabin stay as it rained almost all night. Packing up a wet tent would have really been awful, especially on our last day. I left Clare, E and Harps to sleep in while I snuck out for a few laps in the heated pool to freshen up…

After a relaxed breakfast and pack up, we left Emerald Beach just after 9am with a plan to meet Clare’s dad for lunch at 12pm in Nabiac. Unfortunately we struck endless roadworks on the way, as well as some treacherous rain which caused traffic to crawl almost to a complete stop due to visibility being down to a few metres only.

We arrived at Nabiac right on 1pm and had a beautiful lunch at Greenhouse Cottage. Harper enjoyed seeing ‘Pa’ and having a crawl around on the timber floors. Suitably replenished and with just a few hours separating us from home, we bid farewell and continued south.

The unusually cooperative traffic of Pennant Hills Road allowed us to make good time of the journey. We dropped Ethan off at his dads, before travelling the handfull of kms towards home. Something that had slipped our mind however, was the fact our pillows and doona were still packed up in the tent. With the rain falling, the temperature having dropped to 16deg and Harper at the end of her tether, we needed to find somewhere under cover to open the tent…and fast!! – Woolah, the undercover carpark of Domain just off Mulgoa Road proved our saviour. Having closed some hours prior, we had a clear carpark to perfome the snappiest of tent unfolding…

In record time, Clare was crawling inside the partially open tent and literally throwing the bed clothes out the small opening. They were promptly tossed unceremoniously into the space vacated by Ethan moments prior, the camper re-folded and we were on our way home…Feeling a touch melancholly, I guided the Prado into our street, officially signalling the end of our holiday at 6:30pm….

Once inside, we were greeted with fresh flowers and numerous ‘Welcome Home’ signs placed throughout the house by Mum and Dad. A fresh tea bun and milk in the fridge a welcome touch also…After over 9300kms and 155hrs in the car, we had all returned home, safe and in one piece…just!!!

Thanks for taking the time to read, and I hope you have enjoyed following our little adventure…Stay tuned as in the coming days, each traveller will provide their individual highlights, lowlights, Thank goodness I packed…, Why did I pack that…, I’d like to re-visit…, With more time I’d wish I had…

Some Interesting Facts:

– We travelled 9,307kms from door to door

– We were in the Prado for approximately 155 hours

– Our recorded fuel expenditure was $2722.06 (although we think we lost a docket or two somewhere along the way

– Our most expensive fuel (with a receipt we can find) was at Musgrave Roadhouse @ $1.84 per litre – Nb: Petrol @ Bramwell Junction was in excess of $2.70 and I know we filled up there…

– The Prado fuel economy averaged 21 litres per 100km towing the camper…

– It took 4hrs to clean just the outside of the camper trailer prior to its return.

– There’s one St Dominics baseball hat floating around Bamaga Airport or on a Skytrans plane somewhere…

– Zippers and Velcro in a camper are not condusive to a sleeping baby…

– Red dust gets into everything, even this laptop – which is squeaking as I type this…

Places we stayed:

Nabiac, Lennox Head, Big4 Hervey Bay, Big4 Rockhampton, Big4 Townsville, Big4 Cairns (Coconut), Musgrave Roadhouse, Bramwell Station, Seisia Holiday Resort, Weipa Caravan Park, Eliot Falls, Lakeland Caravan Park, Big4 Mission Beach, Big4 Airlie Beach, Southside Village Rockhampton, Mooloolaba, Big4 Emerald Beach

Before:

After:

Stripped of her ‘toughness’, cleaned and ready for return to school duties…

 

 

 

Day 31 – Mooloolaba to Emerald Beach (via Lennox Head)

I love Mooloolaba…It’s such a fantastic, vibey place fronting a beautiful beach. Feeling the holiday drawing to a close, I dragged myself out of bed just after 6am and snuck out of the tent. Threw the boardies on and headed down to the beach for a few early waves. The water perfect and not a cloud in the sky…sensational!!

A short 3min stroll back to camp where I was greeted by Harps ready to start her day. So off we went for a wander up to the Esplanade to source a loaf of bread coffee and a hot chocolate for Ethan. Upon our return, I decided to kick the car over to make sure it would start. At first go, there was a delay before a whirring sound came from under the bonnet, strikingly similar to when we started having problems in Cairns.

I tried again and this time it started. As I walked back towards the tent, Ethan summoned “is it playing up again? that noise sounded like the compressor (onboard air)...” I then sheepishly returned to the Prado to find the air compressor was switched on, and likely to have been since we assisted the stranded travellers at Archer River…well over a week ago!!. With the ‘strange’ noise sorted, I headed off to Battery World in Maroochydore to have the battery checked. A quick diagnostic check by the helpful manager confirmed all was in order with the battery and the recently installed alternator was doing its job correctly. Phew!!

I returned to the campsite to find the inside packed, with Clare and E starting on the outside. We had initiated the ‘stress free pack up’ this morning, and it worked like a charm. We just took our time, no rush and got it done. Eventually the camper was packed and we were on our way at 10:15am, just 15mins past our intended departure time.

We hit the road and headed south for our lunch stop with Aunty Sue at Lennox Head. I felt a little deflated as we crossed the border back into NSW. It really hit home that our journey in the north of Australia was winding down. Plus we lost an hour!!! We arrived just on 3pm, but with a further 2.5hrs to drive after lunch, we had to stay on track. We agreed a 1hr stop was best and allowed time for Harps to have a quick bath, and E to have a shower. After a fantastic lunch of quiche and salad prepared for us by Aunty Sue, Clare started the bath for Harps and I headed off to the Lennox Esplanade for a couple of quick photos and some necessities.

A bit windy, but still beautiful…

One of our favourite places in Australia…The Esplanade @ Lennox Head

As best we tried, we departed 15mins later than anticipated, but it was good for all of us to have a bit of a break out of the car. After a quick farewell, we reluctantly left Lennox (we hate leaving there – it’s so beautiful and relaxing) and headed towards Coffs Harbour, our destination for the night.

As we travelled south through Grafton, the rains hit. For a moment, the trailer looked brand new again and we thanked the weather for assisting in the dreaded clean up once home – but the win was short lived with the wind soon drying out the trailer, returning to its ochre red colour courtesy of Cape York. With wet weather upon us and an ETA of around 6:30pm, we were concerned with facing our first wet weather set up on our last night of the trip. A snap poll was conducted and a call made to the BIG4 at Emerald Beach to check on availability of a cabin for us weary travellers. With confirmation we could have either a site or a cabin, the mood lifted as we approached the outskirts of Coffs.

Having arrived on the doorstep of the closed office, a quick call on the night intercom summoned the night manager who promptly provided a set of keys to cabin 99. Both Ethan and Harper were very excited once the key was turned, Ethan comfortable in the knowledge there would be no set up/pack up this time.

Unfortunately we were underprepared in the food stakes and being a Monday evening, nothing in Emerald Beach was open. Clare nominated me to head to the nearest Maccas and organise dinner. I immediately jumped in the car, with no idea where I was going, and looked for the nearest McDonald’s – 19kms south in Coffs!! By the time I got back, the food quaility was lacking as was my appetite, but at least Clare could call off the search party…

Rookie mistake of the day – not taking into account the time change once we crossed the border into NSW. This may have led to a quicker pack up at Mooloolaba.

Interesting fact of the day – According to the CSIRO, Coffs Harbour has the most liveable climate in Australia. We all think Coffs Harbour’s economy is based mainly on bananas but in truth the bananas have been superseded by blueberries.

 

Day 30 – Rockhampton to Mooloolaba

Uh-oh – after our easy pack up this morning the poor Prado did not start. A few mutters under our breaths and a call was placed to the RACQ. Luckily she started again not long after our call and we called back to cancel the breakdown call.

With the unpredictability of the starts it was a frustrated Anthony who announced to the family that we were driving all the way to Sydney so we didn’t have to stop the engine, not even turning it off for petrol.

Not knowing if he was joking or not I checked google maps and started to plan out the 17.5 hour drive home. Fortunately after 15 minutes driving it was decided that this was not the best idea with E and Harper in the car and that we would infact be stopping overnight (Ethan was very quick to suggest another cabin stay but that was knocked on the head much to his disappointment)

We drove for an hour and a half and decided Gladstone was the best place to stop for petrol as this wasn’t a little hick town and if we needed help we may be able to get it.  After refueling, and a quick check of the tyre pressure it was all fingers crossed and a little prayer to the Prado gods. We started – a little cheer and a thank you and we were back on the road.

Our lunch stop was at a little park in Childers, this gave both kids a chance to get rid of some energy as both are showing signs of cabin fever. We stopped for around an hour and left the car running the whole break!

On our way to Childers Ant decided our night would be spent at Mooloolaba so the course was set and we were off. We arrived at Mooloolaba at around 3:30pm and after a walk around to decide which site to set up on we drove in and started the set up.

The campsite at Mooloolaba

Now those of you who have spoken to Ethan about Harper will know there are two things he said he would never do – feeding her and changing her nappy – well peops there is now only one thing on that list. Ethan was given a choice – help with the final stages of set up or feed Harper and after 20 set ups he opted to feed his little sister.

Ethan feeding Harper for the first time

Once we were organised it was time to wander along the esplanade and in typical tourist fashion we stopped for an ice cream and a walk along the beach (well along the path along the beach as the stroller is not equipped for sand travel).

Gorgeous – just gorgeous – please can we stay longer, pleeaasse?

Mooloolaba

Ethan enjoying his feet in the sand

We have decided not to pack up and head off early tomorrow as Anthony would like to take the car into town and just get the battery checked for piece of mind. I’m sure Ethan, Harper and I can fill in the time down on the beach.

There were a few phone calls today between team Dmax and team Prado. Team Dmax enjoyed their last BBQ bacon and eggs breakfast before a leisurely pack up. They left Coffs Harbour around midday and headed for home.

The wind at Forster forced them to eat in the caravan but they still managed to get a great picture of the view before closing up the door for the last time on this trip. They arrived home late this afternoon and were greeted by a welcome home sign courtesy of Katreens parents – we love it Mr and Mrs C.

Forster for lunch for the Dmax crew

A welcome home for Katreen, Paul and Brooke – very nice

Rookie mistake of the day – You may recall a previous rookie mistake was giving the boys $20 and sending them into the servo with the instruction to get something for breakfast. At Gladstone this morning Ethan was given some money to get a snack for the next phase of the trip – he came out with an ice cream – it was 9:15am!

Interesting fact of the day – Mooloolaba featured in the fourth season of The Amazing Race and is the fourth town mentioned in the original Australian version of the song “I’ve been Everywhere”

Day 29 Airlie Beach to Rockhampton

It was a little disappointing to leave Airlie Beach this morning after just one night. Our pack up was fairly smooth and just in time as it started to rain 10 minutes after we left the park.

This was the first time E and I had seen the rain this trip but Anthony tells us they had a little bit of rain in Seisha while we were back in Sydney. The rain was quite heavy and for a moment Anthony was afraid it was washing all the dust off the camper trailer. He wants the car to still be dirty when we get home so he can take an after shot to compare the before photo with the after photo. He needn’t have worried as even after the rain that red dirt is ground into the trailer cover, it will take forever to clean it.

Today was a little uneventful as we really just drove and drove. We dropped into Marlborough at around lunch time but nothing to see there and drove on out again.

We found a fairly new service station about 5 minutes out of town and ordered some burgers for lunch. This gave the boys a chance to see a little bit of the Bathurst 1000 but before we knew it, it was time to get back on the road again.

We decided Rockhampton was our target and after some discussion amongst the three of us we unanimously decided that we would pay for a cabin, elimination the need for a set up and giving us the opportunity to head off a little bit earlier tomorrow as we wouldn’t be packing up the tent and associated camping gear.

Walking into a cabin with only our bags and Harpers things was a great feeling. Ethan and Ant had a swim (Ethan has swum in all the camping ground pools) even though it really wasn’t that hot.

No set up or pack up here….just walk right in

Harper enjoyed being able to crawl around on the floor without scraping her knees and we enjoyed not having to constantly monitor what we she was putting in her mouth as there were no rocks, dirt, bugs, sticks etc.

why does the ground feel so smooth?

We headed back to the cabin for nice ling warm showers – almost as good as home. I took this opportunity to wash and dry my hair for the first this trip (the drying, not the washing) and I even took the time to straighten it and I felt close to human again.

We ordered pizza for dinner, Ant and Ethan watched a movie before it was time to give Harper her last bottle of the night and it was off to bed for all of us. It was such a nice feeling to be sleeping in a proper bed.

The Dmax team set up camp at Coffs Harbour and cooked up the last of the meat we had cryovaced in Cairns. We miss their company and while we are enjoying our trip I’m a little envious they will be home tomorrow.

Rookie mistake of the day – giving Harper a new flavour of food that she hadn’t tried before then getting Ethan and I to look through the service station for an alternative. We couldn’t see any, not trusting us Anthony had a look and found a jar of banana and pear. FYI she didn’t like that either.

Interesting fact of the day – A passenger tramway began operating on 16 June 1909, making Rockhampton the only provincial city in Queensland to have a street tramway. This was replaced by a bus network in 1939

 

Day 28 – Mission Beach to Airlie Beach

Great news – the Prado started this morning (a great big sigh of relief from the three of us)

After a quick breakfast we were on our way by 8:30am but not before we took in the breathtaking Mission Beach Coastline. Just lovely.

Beautiful Mission Beach

Beautiful Mission Beach looking the other way

The photo below of Harper just sums up the mornings car trip. This morning was one of her worst, she was not a happy camper (I dont think any of us are really happy campers after 28 days actually). Nothing would settle her and it was awful. I just don’t cope with the car crying and stress, it really bothers me. After her lunch feed it was clear she wasn’t going to sleep so we had no alternative but to pull up at a rest stop and give her some car time out.

25 mins later we were back on the road and fortunately 10 minutes later sleep took over and it was bliss. At one point all three were asleep and I was in heaven!

We were undecided as to whether we would push through to Mackay or stop at Airlie Beach for the night. A better look at the Big 4 brochure cemented our decision and Airlie Beach it was (the picture was nicer).

Thank goodness we stopped. This place is beautiful and if we weren’t a few days behind schedule we would definitely stay here for a few days. Plenty of shade, great pool, clean amenities, it’s great and well worth a return trip (maybe a flight up, hire car and a cabin stay next time though). The only annoying thing is the midges – I’ve never encounted them before and don’t really want to again. We all had to spray on the repellant and burn some citronella to keep them at bay. We can no longer claim that Harper has been bite free as she did sustain a few bites.

Our nice shady campsite at Airlie Beach

The pool at Airlie Beach

Playground at Airlie Beach

Anthony and I set up together for the first time this trip. Harper just sat and played on her mat, allowing us to do a complete set up together. Once the washing was on and something to eat was found for Ethan it was off to the pool for a refreshing dip. Harper had a great time in her new floating chair while Ethan dive bombed off the pools edge.

Anthony and Harper enjoying the pool at Airlie Beach

We decided to treat ourselves to a bistro meal at the local tavern and it was delicious. Anthony and E leaving nothing behind. After dinner we took a drive into the main street of Airlie Beach and again it was beautiful. Plenty of places to stay, eat and play as well as shopping. Anthony spent some time in Airlie Beach about 7 years ago and hardly recognised it. There are markets on down there in the morning but I don’t think we’ll have time to visit 😦

Our fellow travellers drove from Rockhampton to Noosa today stopping at Sarina for lunch. They too enjoyed a delicious dinner out on the town folowed by a walk along the fairy lit streets and beach. Katreen was hesitant to leave after being told there were markets on the next morning.

All set up at Noosa

A lovely family shot of Brooke, Katreen and Paul

Interesting fact of the day – The Whitsunday islands were named by James Cook in 1770, he believed he passed through the islands on the Christian festival day of Whit Sunday. It is now widely believed he did not pass through on this day due to crossing the international date line.

Day 27 – Cairns to Mission Beach

Unfortunately it was another day of standing by, waiting for the green light from the mechanics to come and collect the Prado…When I say unfortunate mind you, we enjoyed a beautiful pancake breakfast by the lagoon pool courtesy of the Coconut Resort staff…

Members of the campsite enjoying breakfast

Not a bad size at all

I ducked off into Cairns to ARB to secure some new spotlight covers (lost at Eliot Falls) while Clare, E and Harper had a leisurely swim. By lunchtime we still hadn’t heard about the car, with the exception of “hopefully by mid afternoon”…

The hire car was due back at 12:30pm so a deal was struck…I would take the hire car back with Harps, kill a few hours in Cairns, then collect the Prado once ready. In the meantime, Clare and E would pack the camper ready to go upon my return.

Off Harps and I went into town and killed time doing laps of Cairns Central, the main ‘Westfield equivalent’ in town. Back at camp, the efficient team of Clare and E had the camper packed up in record time, even allowing both another refreshing dip in the pool as a reward…

Finally at 4:00pm the Prado was ready to go…Harper and I made our way over, paid the bill and were on our way. With the camper done, just a few things in and on the roof of the Prado and we started south. Given it was already after 5pm, the Big4 at Mission Beach was the chosen location, around 2hrs south…

A slight scare at the BP Innisfail when the Prado didn’t kick over 1st go…Hopefully it’s just the main battery getting back up to full charge, I’ll let you know in the morning!

We arrived at Mission Beach just before 7:00pm and set about our first completely dark set up (they’re not fun). Clare fed and changed Harper while Ethan and I got dwn to business. We opted for a very basic set up – no awning and just the basics out of the trailer.

Team Dmax has been in regular contact and after lunch in Sarina they made it to Rockhampton for the night. They stayed in the same caravan park that we stayed in on the way up.

Sarina Beach – lunch stop for the Dmax crew

Rookie mistake of the day – make sure you have the right keys before you lock something up. After an efficient pack up, Ethan and Clare put the remaining items (the things that are packed in the car) in the ensuite along with the valuables to keep them safe while they went for a quick dip before I returned. They soon realised that I had the keys with me – alas they were able to get the spare key from reception (trouble averted)

 

Day 26 – Cairns…Still!!

A call to the mechanic this morning left us all deflated. They were unable to source the correct alternator. After some confirmations with Brookvale Spares in Sydney we were able to organise the correct part and secure overnight transport, this means the part should arrive tomorrow mid morning, a few hours to fit it and with any luck we may be back on the road tomorrow afternoon. We’re now two days behind schedule.

Sadly team Dmax was unable to hang back any longer and it was with much disappointment we waved them off this morning. It really was an awful feeling watching the group split into two. The plan was to drive back into the riff together after our big adventure.

Rather than sit around moping about the Prado all day we hired a car and headed up to Port Douglas for a look around. What a beautiful place. I’ve never seen so many resorts! Everywhere you turned there was a place to stay, a place to eat, straw hats, thongs and flowing dresses for sale.

Our hire car – Mitsubishi ASX

The drive took us about an hour each way and the drive was really picturesque. We were literally driving beside the ocean (the ocean was at some points only a matter of three metres from the road.

Looking south from Rex Lookout (Port Douglas > Cairns)

Heading south on the road between Port Douglas > Cairns

Once we arrived we wandered along the main street and treated ourselves to an ice cream before heading back to our camp. After dropping us back Anthony headed to the supermarket for some supplies while Ethan, Harper and I enjoyed a swim.

It sure is lonely without the Dmax crew. We did however catch up with them on the phone. Our original plan was to camp at Bowen tonight but after a later start for them this morning they have pulled up at Ayr, about an hour short of Bowen. Brooke made the comment that it just isn’t the same without us all together and team Prado (temporarily team Mitsubishi ASX) agree. They will be filling us in at the end of each day and sending through some photos so we can keep you all up to date with the travels of both groups.

Fingers crossed we’re back on the road tomorrow. While we’re all ok and staying at the lovely Cairns Coconut Holiday Resort we are all looking forward to heading home. Ethan is missing his Dad…but not school…..and I’m starting to miss my cupboards and bench space and our bed and running water and…..

Interesting fact of the day – When does Queensland become Far North Queensland? Government Departments and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) have different definitions (of course). The ABS defines the region as containing most of the Cape York Peninsula (excluding the south western quarter) and the Torres Strait Islands and extending as far south as Hinchinbrook Island and the town of Cardwell but it excludes the city of Townsville.

Day 25 – Cairns – Prado Problems

Well, despite our best intentions of a relaxing pack up with just an hours drive to our next destination (Paronella Park), it all fell to pieces…

Clare and Ethan had started a slow pack, when I innocently went to kick over the Prado to create some shade for Harps to play in…tick, nothing, tick, nothing, tick, nothing…She wouldnt start!! – I sensed some issues in the days earlier with her not starting first go, or delay in kicking over, but with no issues encountered during the long drive the day before (Cooktown – 600kms round trip), thought nothing more of it.

Paul and I were on the case and after the initial checks and Pauls best efforts, we still had nothing. The trusty RACQ were summoned to the park, and after a snappy diagnosis, our fears worstened with the ordering of a tow truck. A short time later, the Prado was on the tray and heading for the local automotive specialists…

Brings a tear to your eye…

Not the way we envisioned the Prado leaving Coconut…

Throwing our plans into disarray, numerous calls were made to Toyota and the workshop where she had been taken. Despite assurances the Prado would be sorted by the afternoon, with the diagnosis confirming the alternator had died, it didnt happen. Apparently alternators for the Prado 150 are hard to come by either new or second hand. Toyota confirmed a new one would be 3-4 weeks coming from Japan, and the search for a reconditioned item came up empty. Attempts to source one from a wreckers just to get us going also proved futile.

Paul was on the case and had his contacts scouring Sydney for one to get us out of trouble. Eventually contact was made with Reece from  Brookie Spares who indicated he had what we were after and could courier it up (with a 1-2 day turnaround). Unfortunately by the time this was organised, the Cairns workshop had closed and we’d have to stay another night. As inconvenient as that sounds, we all agreed at least we were in a large city, not 300-400kms out of town as we were all day yesterday…

With the staff here at Coconut very helpful and understanding, extending our stay has not been a problem. In true Riff2Tip spirit, Team Dmax sacrificed their travel time and booked in for an extra night as well. Its dissapointing for all of us that we’ll miss Paronella Park as I know the girls especially were looking forward to it.

Ethan and Brooke entertaining themselves during our unexpected delay…

At this stage it’s a waiting game, and we wont know much more until the morning, so off to the pool it is….

Rookie mistake of the day – despite Anthony’s request to upgrade the NRMA insurance a number of times before we left I neglected to do so (it’s in my name so he couldn’t do it). Sadly this oversight has come back to bite me with a big I told you so………

Interesting fact of the day – James cook named the Cape York Peninsula after the then Duke of York and Albany (The Grand Old Duke of York) – go sing the song – he had ten thousand men, he marched them up to the top of the hill and he marched them down again.

Day 24 – Day Trip – Cooktown/Lions Den Hotel

With a big drive ahead of us today, an early start was paramount. Both crews were on their game this morning, and by 8:05am, we were at the servo fuelling up the cars and heading north to Cooktown.

Our first stop was at the Daintree Ferry Crossing. For a fee of $24 per vehicle (return), you get a 3 minute ride across the picturesque Daintree River, but unfortunately you can’t get out of the car.

We continued north through the green canopy of Daintree National Park until we reached Cape Tribulation, where we stopped off for a quick snack and Harper feed at a small cafe. After the legs were sufficiently stretched and the bellies adequately accomodated, we were back in the vehicles and leaving the bitumen behind for the infamous Bloomfield Track. The track itself is a mix of gravel and sand and covers around 30 kilometres between Cape Trib and the Bloomfield River crossing. The gradients are very steep, with some of the most precarious now concreted to assist the steep climbs and descents. Both the Dmax and Prado covered the ground quite easily, and to the suprise of Paul, the exciting water crossing of the Bloomfield River was no more…The crossing is now a large concrete bridge, bypassing the need to get the tyres wet…

Once across the Bloomfield, we made our way north on a mix of sealed and unsealed roads, until we reached the outer limits of Cooktown. The drive into Cooktown presented us with Black Mountain, a moutain range consisting of black (actually dark grey) boulders. It was quite weird and even a bit eerie the way the mountain consisted of these rocks without the usual green follage.

Ethan @ Black Mountain Lookout

We soon arrived in Cooktown and drove over to the boat ramp, an important sight in Queensland and our nations history where on the 18th June 1770, the HMS Endeavour and Captain Cook came ashore.

Pretty historic stuff…

After the obligatory photos, we headed down to the Sovereign Resort restaurant for lunch. A nice meal was had by all, except both mine and Katreen’s Chicken Cesar Salad arrived with no chicken….The staff were nice and apologetic, bringing the offending condiment on a seperate plate and offering a free drink as compensation.

Lunchtime at the Sovereign Resort

With our hunger satisfied, the Dmax crew headed up Grassy Hill to the lighthouse whilst we drove around town taking some photos, and looking for Grassy Hill and the lighthouse (which we still didnt find…). Eventually we caught up to the Dmax crew at the Black Mountain lookout on the way out of Cooktown and after a snappy debrief, headed for the iconic Lions Den Hotel at nearby Helenvale.

As we entered the historic hotel, I struggled to maintain my composure. I had seen the pub in more than a few magazines and 4WD videos, and to be actually standing there was ‘magic’. We all had our photos taken out the front with the lion standing watch over the entrance, before heading inside for a drink. The kids kept themselves entertained by reading the various quotes and anecdotes written in texta all over the walls of the hotel.

The Prado Crew @ Lions Den Hotel

We noticed that a number of travellers had left their signed trip shirts hanging from the rafters inside the pub itself. The idea struck me that we should leave our Riff2Tip mark on the pub. With Paul being the only one in ‘uniform’ that day, the responsibility fell to him. Before we knew it, Paul had purchased a Lions Den polo and his Riff2Tip shirt was on the table. After a donation was made to the Royal Flying Doctor Service, and Brookey sourced a texta from her collection, we all signed the Riff2Tip shirt. With the assistance of Ethan and a cable tie, the shirt now hangs proudly from the rafters.

Out little piece of history @ Lions Den Hotel, Helenvale…

Paul leaving his mark on the Lions Den Hotel…

Alas the afternoon was bearing down on us, and with still 250-275kms ahead of us, we said our goodbyes to the iconic landmark and headed south back towards Cairns. It wasnt until around 8:15pm that we arrived back in Cairns, but we pushed on and met up with the Dmax Crew on The Esplanade outside the night markets. After a leisurely stroll through the markets and a nice meal of pizza and pasta, we made our way back to the Coconut Resort and hit the pillows…

A tired little Harper @ Lions Den Hotel

Interesting Facts of the Day – Obviously Cooktown was named after James Cook but up until 1874 it was actually called Cook’s Town. The first recorded sighting of kangaroos by Europeans was on Grassy Hill in Cooktown. Finally the Cooktown Orchid is the State Flower of Queensland.