25th July - 5th August 2024
Mackay, QLD, Australia
We were in full swing with our arrival celebrations when another visitor appeared at our stern with a set of car keys and a smile. Our friends James and Rayna are mid Pacific sailing their Lagoon 450F back to Australia, so in their absence we used their car and home. Rayna messaged her friends and within days we were being looked after. Drinks and meals flowed amidst the celebrations of boats arriving and a special pontoon party for a special birthday.
The organised ARC tour was to Cape Hillsborough National Park. This is the place to see families of Wallaby or Kangaroo feeding on the beach at dawn.
Iain is not a fan of organised tours. He does not appreciate sitting anywhere except behind the wheel when in a moving vehicle. He certainly does not trust anyone to organise anything without checking the details first. Secretly, I think, he has a fear of the unknown, that said, he wasn’t going to be left behind.
We met our lovely guide, Michelle, from Mackay Adventure Tours at 04:20 hrs in the carpark. The same carpark Rayna had left the “car”. I could not stop laughing when I saw it! The biggest truck I have ever seen. Somehow I knew, Iain would be driving me to the shops.
When we stopped laughing it was time to get on the fun bus for the hour long drive to the beach. Michelle was delightful, full of smiles and enthusiasm which did not wane all day. She explained the whole morning in great detail which pleased Iain as he was now informed.
Eventually we arrived. We stood on the beach in silence, in the dark, behind the markers in the sand, waiting. We were assured the wallaby would come and so would the most spectacular sunrise between the two islands. The stuff of postcards. We waited. It started raining, the cloud descended but the wildlife were very shy. We saw the silhouette of three wallaby feeding on the nuts put out for them by the ranger, but as the daylight appeared, minus the sun which was hiding behind the clouds, the wallaby retreated to their bush leaving a lone turkey to finish the spoils. We laughed. It could only happened to us.
Not to be deterred, still smiling and bounding forward, Michelle took us on a short hike behind the beach to experience the bush on our way to the viewing platform at the top. This time all our expectations were fulfilled. We soon discovered Michelle is a font of fun facts regarding the local fauna. We tasted leaves and green ants, (yes, I ate an ant. So too did most of the group, but after me!) Both have medicinal properties and interesting tastes of sugar and lime. Michelle also demonstrated how to make a whistle with two leaves. Something she and many other children mastered when growing up.
After the hike we had a lovely breakfast in the picnic area. Michelle made sure we were all fed and watered well, with lots of Australian delicacies of fruits, Jatz crackers, Vegemite,Tim Tams and hot tea. Such thought for her guests.
We also gained our first sighting of a pair of kookaburra, not in an old gum tree, a sign of our times …
The morning was most enjoyable all thanks to our wonerful guide. An absolute must should anyone travel here.
While we had James’ truck, we were going in search of our own adventure. To Broken River, to find Duckbilled Platypus. Of course there was the obvious sighting of a turkey! Then onwards to Eungella to the famous dam and finally to Pinnacle to eat a famous pie, which were so tasty we bought several for the freezer.
Iain enjoyed having James’ truck. It gave him the freedom and control to suit himself. He could explore the side roads or take a detour whenever he felt the need. He could drive around the car park of the shopping centre several times until he found the right spot for the supermarket, the department store or the gym. All of which he did on each visit. Luckily the fuel tank in the truck is very large.
The inevitable day for our prize giving arrived heralding the start of our cruising to Darwin. A sad evening in many ways. This is the end of the journey for many boats. Great plans of cursing to New Zealand or other exotic locations has drawn some of our fellow travellers to leave.
Nev and Fergus are also returning home to head office on The Isle of Wight with the promise of new adventures.
Dugald and Mahina also left with some of the Younger than Average Group for their own exciting road trip in camper vans to Sydney.
We were two again. It was time to venture to Kewsick Island, to stay in Rayna and James’ home.
Comments