Paluma Range National Park

On the way to Paluma Range, 60 km north of Townsville, we stopped in Tully. The big gumboot (which represents the amount of rainfull Tully had one year) proved to be a fun slippery dip for the kids.

We camped at Big Crystal Creek, which had some basic facilities and lots of families as Queensland school holidays have started. The bush around was lovely but very dry compared to what we had seen around Cairns. Unfortunately some yobs had also decided to holiday here. After 24 hours of listening to their yelling and swearing, and putting up with them breaking beer bottles and lighting fires, 'someone' called police, who sent out four nice police officers to shoo them away. Yay police!

We spent lots of time swimming in the large creek, reading -Ranger's Apprentice for the boys, absolutely brilliant, relaxing in the hammock and more lego. The older boys developed a great interest in lighting leaves with a magnifying glass. Seems their pyromania is yet to be fully extinguished.

Camping nearby were three boys the same age as Isaac and Darcy. They wanted to try homeschooling so we did a bit of maths and also learnt about world heritage areas. I was a bit worried when one of the answers to 'what are the world heritage areas in Australia?' was 'Bonniedoon'! One night Isaac organised a very exciting night game of 'customs' which involved sneaking through the bush and trying not to get spotted with the torch. Arch was very good at it, being so little. Actually we almost lost him in the bush, as he was trying not to be found and didn't answer when we called!

Each day finished at the creek, with jumping off the rocks into the water for the three boys, and watching the tadpoles and fish for the rest of us.

Cairns

I feel much closer to home now! This part of Australia is well populated, which makes me realise just how remote the NT and outback Queensland is. We booked into a caravan park for a week, one that has a pool, putt putt and a playground and is close to town. It also has curlews that cry at night. One is very patiently sitting on two eggs. Her mate stays close by and flaps and screeches if anyone gets too close.

Rusty's Markets was our first activity. There was a fantastic range of tropical fruit that looked so fresh and was very cheap. The kids bought some evil looking licorice straps after sampling each variety. They chose the less coloured licorice and thankfully didn't seem to react much. We have tried them on different foods this trip where the results are unlikely to affect anyone but them and us, and have discovered that they can cope with small amounts of a few things that previously they couldn't, like cow's milk. At a 'green' toy shop I had lots of fun buying presents for our three nieces and two goddaughters.



Cairns has a large, free swimming pool on the esplanade, as there are no beaches near the city. We had a good swim there and met a family from England who live on a large yacht. They have been sailing around the world for three years with their two boys aged five and eight. For the last 14 months they have been through Melanesia and their stop in Cairns was their first visit to a western civilisation in that time. The boys were delightful- both spoke only English but with heavy French accents like their mother. They do school every day, as they don't really pay attention to what day it is. Their mum was a bit stressed trying to watch them at the pool. I guess she was used to them being a bit more contained! They had been shopping for lego, 'pirate' lego of course. The thought of being confined to a yacht for so long with two young non swimming boys made me appreciate the freedom of a caravan. I suppose though the thought of being stuck on land doesn't appeal to them at all.


We sought out low cost activites mostly, as it would be easy here to spend our entire holiday budget. One day we found a 4WD track to Trinity Beach. I wasn't sure if we'd actually get back along this track as it was so steep and uneven in parts. Greg of course was in his element. The beach had lots of rock pools to explore. Isaac learnt a painful lesson about not putting his hands where he can't see. He touched something, possibly a white worm type thing, that left hundreds of tiny hairs sticking out of his hand. These were painful and were too fine to be removed with tweezers, so Greg used duct tape to stick on them and pull them out. One week on the blisters are still painful. The kids found dozens of hermit crabs in the rock pools. Some were 'between' shells. When they outgrow a shell they find a bigger one to move into. A great industry started, with Darcy leading the building of 'Kids for Hermit Crabs', and arena in the sand that included a nursery, breeding area (!) and exile for crabs that had nipped anyone. The kids had so much fun doing this, much more fun I think than an expensive tour somewhere, which made us really pleased that we don't have limitless funds.


Kuranda had its annual Spring Fair on so we drove up and had a look. Lots of locals were dressed up, including one elderly woman dressed up in a skin tight striped possum costume- very passionate about her cause! While in Kuranda we went into the butterfly (and moth) sanctuary. Jessamy was quite frightened of the butterflies, but fell asleep and didn't realise a large one had landed on her back. They were very beautiful to watch.


We had our first rainy day for the whole trip in Cairns. It was a good time to stop and do some schoolwork- of which we are doing almost none these days!- catch up on the kids' journals and get some shopping done. The following day it rained again. This was the day of our trip to Michaelmas Cay on the Great Barrier Reef. Thankfully as soon as we were clear of the mainland the sky was sunny again, and remained so throughout the day. Unfortunately the winds were strong and I hadn't taken any motion sickness tablets, as the last time I had on a cruise I slept through it. I was soooooo sick, as was poor little Archie. As one of the cruise ladies walked around handing out vomit bags she commented that they had never gone through so many bags before. The snorkelling just off the cay was great. We saw some really big fish and many colourful ones, plus of course all the different varieties of coral. Isaac and Darcy thought it was 'amazing'. Archie and Jessamy were able to do some snorkelling too, although Jess found the flippers a bit tricky. We took some underwater photos which we haven't had developed yet. Cairns was exciting and busy but I'm glad we're going to a national park again next.

Katherine to Mossman

Jessamy had a much better night in Katherine. Her temperature settled down and she seemed more energetic. We swam at the Katherine Hot Springs- the water was so warm and clear. On the way south we dropped in to the historic Springvale Homestead. The original white settlers had spent two years driving their sheep from South Australia to the area near Katherine, only to have the farm fail some years later.



Our first stop was at the Daly Waters Pub (campground!!)- one very unique establishment with collections of just about everything- kettles, thongs, number plates and t shirts etc. After flushing the toilet one determined little green tree frog popped out from under the toilet rim. It struggled mightily against the tide and managed to avoid being flushed, thankfully. When showering I noticed no less than ten of its friends standing sentry all around the bathroom.



Our next stop was the Three Ways Roadhouse, where the Barkly and Stuart Highways meet. Jess unfortunately developed an ear infection and had another difficult night. I felt sorry for our neighbours, all grandparent types probably trying to enjoy their retirement without kids! On the way to Camoweal we noticed the scenery changing- less desert and more cows and trees, but still very dry. Greg particularly enjoying comparing road design in the different council areas (who said holiday?!). On arrival in Camoweal, Qld, a few hundred km since our last stop, we were allocated our powered site- right next to the same nice people who put up with Jessamy's noise last night! They were very understanding about it thankfully, and Jess assured them she wouldn't make as much noise again. With some magic panadol she didn't.

In Mt Isa we tried to find a doctor for Jess but couldn't (short of going to A&E, which we didn't want to do), so we kept her out of the pool and let the ear heal itself. In Mt Isa we had a look at the Flying Doctors. What a brilliant service to those in remote areas, something we've come to appreciate recently. One night we had dinner out which was a lovely break. We have so far stuck to our 'No Maccas' rule this trip, not too hard really as we haven't come across many.

After two days at Mt Isa we headed out through Cloncurry and up to the Burke and Wills Roadhouse. There were lots of road trains full of cattle. Our favourite were the beautiful gray Droughtmasters. Cane toads are absolutely everywhere. Archie is keen to see them hopping on the road as we told them they do in some places. Greg had his Fathers' Day breakfast here and enjoyed getting chocolate, a motorbike magazine from Darcy (questionable idea) and a novel which has kept him amused when he's not driving.



On the way to Karumba we stopped near the Normanton Railway Station. Some ginormous brolgas watched us eat lunch. Then on to Karumba, which is near the bottom of the 'V' which forms the Gulf of Carpentaria. Here the kids played in the dirt, and we all swam in the pool and walked along the beach watching people catch fish.



On the Monday it was Jessamy's 4th birthday. We invited two little boys that were camping nearby- Bosco and Sawyer- who had been travelling for 18 months. In the afternoon we had pass the parcel and musical statues, with some party food and cake. The kids then went back to the dirt, this time mixing in water and making mud bombs. Then another swim, this time with the ridiculously expensive Mermaid Barbie birthday present. This was the lowest stress party we've ever had! I wonder if it would work in Newcastle?



Stopping again in Normanton on the way east we were swooped by a possessive magpie while looking at the less scary model of a crocodile. This crocodile 'Krys' was reportedly the largest ever found, at 8.93m long, in the Normanton River in the 1950s. We stopped overnight near the Uranda National Park with the intention of visiting the undeground lava tubes the next day. However as it would have cost us $136 to do this we decided against it. The more we see of Queensland, the more we notice how expensive it can be to do anything touristy. I understand the need to maintain the natural resources well, but it seems unreasonable to charge so much that average families would find these places difficult to visit. We could easily spend several hundred dollars a day doing just one or two activites.



Finally we got to Mareeba where we visited the Coffee Works. The kids were sat down with an activity sheet and told if they completed it they would get a prize (chocolate) at the end. This very clever idea meant Greg and I were able to taste lots of yummy coffee and chocolate. We also got to pick coffee beans of the bushes and taste them- very sweet- and see inside the roastery. At the caravan park in Mossman that night I wasn't able to get to sleep for a long time!



The next day we drove into the Daintree Rainforest, first travelling over the Daintree River by car ferry. I fell asleep after my late night so didn't point Greg to the turnoff, and we ended up at Cape Tribulation. That turned out really well- the beach was almost deserted and the rainforest coming down to the water was spectacular. The kids had a bit of a swim as the water was so warm. Not too far out though due to the crocodile signs (it's OK mum they are fine!). We headed up dirt road and crossed a creek, where we paddled and fed the fish around our ankles. During a little walk in the rainforest we spotted a Cassowary which was great as there aren't many left in the wild. On the way home we stopped for icecream. The 'flavours of the day' were Wattle Seed, Coconut, Rasberry and Jackfruit. We all liked the Wattle Seed best. It tasted a bit like coffee.



Our caravan became Kid Central again when we got back. We usually have lego or matchbox cars set out on the picnic rug and something else like playdough or painting on the table, so often have extra kids joining in. Lots of grandparent types comment on what a large family we have, so we then explain that actually only four of them are ours.

Arnhem Land

We had the very exciting opportunity of going into Arnhem Land for a day. The Stone Country Festival is an event put on by the Oenpelli community and is open to visitors from outside Arnhem Land. The Aboriginal name for Oenpelli is Gunbalanya (and it has another longer name which I can't remember). We were particularly excited as one of our favourite Alison Lester books, 'Ernie dances the didgeridoo' was written by the author in conjunction with Gunbalanya Community School. In fact she had been there again until the day prior to us being there, and we were able to buy some artwork that she and the children had done together. She has also written 'Are we there yet?", a great children's book that we also brought with us on our trip.

Some of the elders performed a welcome ceremony. The ladies did the 'yam dance'. They also had a big rainbow serpent that looked a bit like a Chinese dragon. Jess unfortunately felt too unwell to do much, and spent the day being carried around.

The thing that interested Darcy and Isaac the most was the food. Some ladies dug a hole and lit a fire in it, then threw in some long white things that looked a bit like skinny kangaroo tails. I figured that wasn't so bad- we'd had kangaroo meat at home a few times. When they were cooked they were lifted from the fire and sliced into small sections. We each tried some, I tried to look cultured and enjoy it but just couldn't. Later when we saw thick, furry kangaroo tails being cooked in the fire I asked one of the ladies what the long thin things were. Kangaroo intestines. Mmmm!

They also cooked long necked turtles that had been dug up out of the mud from the flood plains. The meat from the turtles was tough but quite tasty. For lunch we had crocodile or buffalo meat sandwiches.

There were lots of displays from government organisations too. Darcy showed an unhealthy interest in joining the army, something I'm encouraging in the hope of turning him off the idea. We watched an artist do a dot painting of water spirits, which looked a bit like mermaids. In the evening we watched the fireworks. The boys had a ride on the dodgem cars- like we've never seen before! 50 screaming Aboriginal kids who somehow know how to drive very well, packed into each car, driving like maniacs, versus our kids who really had no clue how to steer or avoid being bumped into. It was very funny.

In the evening we had showers in a dark, cold shower, without a door, supervised by frogs. Jess became very unwell overnight. The outside temperature was not much below 30 degrees, and her fever rose to over 40 degrees. She refused to take panadol and then devoped severe croup which went on for two hours, instead of the usual half hour. It was quite frightening, especially as we didn't have phone reception and were unsure what the local medical services were. Greg and I spent much of the night fanning her and washing her, trying to keep her cool. She was a bit better in the morning, however we decided to skip our planned overnight camp site at Gunlom Falls in Kakadu and head for Katherine instead. The dirt road out of Arnhem Land is so badly corrugated and potholed that we sustained damage to both indoor and outdoor tables and other fixed fittings in the caravan. No wonder we were the only people bringing a caravan in!

Kakadu

On the way in to Jabiru, the 'capital' of Kakadu, we stopped at a few interesting places. One was Fogg Dam, where we drove across the dam wall and were able to see many water birds in the wetlands. We couldn't walk across as a salt water croc had been roaming around since March, refusing to climb into the traps that had been left for it.


The Window on the Wetlands centre had lots of fantastic interactive displays. Actually most of the visitor centres have really good displays and information. Above Isaac and Jessamy are sratching through the leaves like birds to find the food underneath- worms and yummy cockroaches. We also had a great view out over the Wetlands, farming areas, buffalo, and the site of a failed government attempt in 1950 to start rice farming.

Once in Jabiru we settled in the pool for a long swim. The temperature was 37 degrees. The next day we checked out the Bowali centre, learnt lots more about National Park management in the NT and watched a movie called 'The Big Wet' about the monsoon season (it was air conditioned!!). Isaac and Darcy caught up with some friends that they'd met in Darwin.


In the afternoon we watched the crocodiles at Cahills Crossing, on the border between Kakadu and Arnhem Land, catch Barramundi as the high tide receded. They lay in the water, often with their jaws wide open, and snapped the large fish as they swam past. Some of the crocodiles crossed the road, like the small one pictured.


As it was late afternoon we walked to the rock art site at Ubirr, and listened to a ranger talk. The bush around the area was still smouldering following a controlled burn. Some of the art work depicted white people so was not more than 150 years old. The walk to the top of Ubirr was worth it to see the view of the green plains, and rocks lit by the setting sun. It would be great to come here during the wet to see the area covered in water.



On our last full day in Kakadu we decided it was just too hot to go anywhere except the pool. We had a day of trying to keep cool, especially for Jess who started to get a slight fever in the afternoon. During the night she moved around a bit with her fever and eventually kicked a hole in the flyscreen next to her bed, then fell out onto the ground 1 1/2 metres below. She screamed for some time and the next day, after we'd apologised to some of our neighbours, we found she had large bruises along her spine and down her leg. Nothing seemed to be broken though, except the flyscreen.

Darwin August 19-26th

Now the heat is really noticeable. Apparently the 'cool dry' season has ended around a month early, and the 'hot dry' has begun. We are thankful for a cool breeze at night, swimming pools and occasionally air conditioned venues.

We stayed in Darwin a week which again gave Greg a break from the long distance driving, and also gave us all the chance to do lots in this great city.

Top on my list was a visit to Mindil Beach Markets where we ate Chinese for dinner, while watching the sun set. Darcy was very impressed with the crocodile hide whips and convinced his father, but not his mother, that he should buy one with his pocket money. Sadly for Darcy mum won this one. On Saturday morning we checked out the Parap markets at a former local's suggestion (thanks Amanda!) and it was less crowded and had better stalls, I thought, than Mindil Beach. The kids had satay sticks for brekky, and Greg and I had chicken laksa...mmmmm. Then we had 'dessert' of strawberry and caramel crepes. Double yum.


As the nearest natural waterhole is 40 minutes away in Berry Springs, Darwin has a couple of other options for cooling down. One we visited was the free water park at Leanyer- like a normal playground but with lots of water added. The water slides were also good for a few hours amusement for the three boys. Jess preferred hanging out in the shallow part of the pool, chatting to other girls, as girls apparently do. The playground was a bit much for her! Another great place for fun was the wave pool on the foreshore. This time the action was a bit much for me- I actually got seasick sitting on one of those big tube things.


We were all keen to see big crocs, so spent a morning at Crocodylus Park. Isaac got to feed a large crocodile (the food was on the end of a stick) and we all got to hold a two year old crocodile, which sounds very impressive. Actually it was only as long as my arm and had its mouth taped shut with electrical tape. And it was called Jason, which doesn't sound very scary at all. Sadly the park also had lots of bored looking exotic creatures in tiny enclosures who refused to wake up from their naps to entertain us. All zoos should be like Dubbo I reckon.


On Sunday we all went to the local Presbyterian church, after not having been to church for four weeks. The church was small but spiritually strong and biblically sound. Talking to the people there gave us a bit of an idea of the difficulties of living in a place like Darwin- the heat, isolation, lack of resources and transient population are a few.

Greg and the older boys saw Harry Potter 6- I was a bit jealous of them having air conditioning for two hours. We visited the Botanic Gardens and had a great time in the special children's garden, playing hide and seek and climbing the huge treehouse. Charles Darwin NP also had a display in an old munitions tunnel about the bombing of Darwin during WW2, which brought up many interesting discussions about wars and the army.

At the caravan park the older boys had lots of other kids to play with, as well as two pools and a jumping pillow to keep them all exhausted. We had one little girl who spent many hours at our caravan, playing pet shop, barbies and playdough, and coming to the pool with us. It was nice to have someone new for Arch and Jess to play with.