Day 6: Cairns

With another day in the car, we left Charters Towers around 8.30 and headed for Townsville. There were several delays due to roadworks and there is a lot of damage to the road after the floods.  We fuelled up in Townsville and looked for a spot for smoko.  We found a nice park but the toilets were closed. What to do?? We wandered around the grounds of the nearby nursing home and made use of their public facilities. It was a really lovely place, with spectacular tropical gardens, pretty flowers and lovely birds. Dad commented on how nice it looked  and I warned him to be careful what he wished for!

We continued heading north and saw the devastation and damage in towns like Ingham, Tully and Innisfail. The trees that were stripped of their foliage are starting to grow back, but there are still lots of houses with tarps on the roof and it must be cool for them now with winter here. We have moved from Lee Kernaghan songs to Jimmy Barnes as we drive through the canefields. The cane is starting to be harvested and we saw cane trains along the tracks. It's a wonder we didn't stop and try to get a ride on one!

We arrived in Cairns and settled into a caravan park - we are staying for 3 nights to prepare for our trip to the tip of Cape York. We decided to put up the camper as the weather forecast is for fine weather and no rain, and it is a bit warmer here - about 22 degrees during the day and 15 overnight.  Dad decided to opt for a cabin rather than putting up his tent.  We had a BBQ for tea in the camp kitchen, and enjoyed a few beers and conversation with our new friends.

It was fantastic to chat with Carol, Meg and Alice on skype and Poppy was very impressed to be able to see your faces and hear your voices - it was very special.