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…
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.
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)
Riff to Tip 2014 
Most relieved to see the troops are back on track. What a test of patience and ability. So proud of you all. You can do this . Take care. Dad.
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