Sorry for radio silence - we didnt want to freak out Mum/Sue..... we had a little issue earlier in the week with a cyclone called Hadi...... we spent most of the end of last week trying to dodge it! Luckily, after some fairly bleak emergency weather warnings, the cyclone headed out east into the sea, so there was just a lot of rain instead of a cyclone.
Learnt a lot of things about cyclones though! One thing we learnt is that, rather disconcertingly, the scale of cyclone severity (ie. 1 to 5, 5 being akin to the apocalypse), seems to grade things on how shit it is for caravans. Inexplicable, and rather unnerving for those of us IN a caravan. Hadi was a grade 2.... "significant damage to caravans". Seriously. Google it if you don't believe us!
But anyway, we came down the coast rather swiftly, from Mission Beach to Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays. See below for details.
Day Four - Mission Beach to Cardwell
We didn't really want to leave Mission Beach, but the cyclone warnings were gettting dire. I was concerned. Layth was not as concerned as he should have been. I bought lots of bottled water and tinned goods. Layth bought a new sun hat. However, we both had a keen eye on the wine situation, and stores were replenished.
On leaving Mission Beach, we ran into our first wild wallabies!!! (not literally ran into. None were killed.) They were just hopping about down the street.
On the drive south, we were driving through the Cassowary coast.... we saw a wild Cassowary too!
Although, all week I had mistaken bush turkeys for Cassowaries. I even called out "here, little Cassowary" to a bloody bush turkey in front of loads of people, who all looked at me a bit odd. Below is a picture of a Cassoway, for those who might also confuse them with turkeys.
Cardwell is lovely, perched on the edge of the sea and looks out to Hinchinbrook Island. We went in a museum about the rainforest, which was very good. The beach was also a beach-combers dream..... although not much green glass, mum, I checked.
Layth wants me to write he had an excellent crab sandwich in Cardwell.
Day Five - Cardwell to Townsville
We hot-footed it down to Townsville the next day in an attempt to keep ahead of the rain. This failed. We were very much in the rain.
Unfortunately for Layth, this meant I managed to persuade him into the local aquarium! Much joy from me on this. I love aquariums. Saw many a sea creature, and this one was my favourite I think.
Day Six - Townsville to Whitsundays
In the morning we sort of moped about in the rain, then went to a museum/gallery. It was quite a good rainy-day activity, the highlight being a cyclone-experience room, that freaked us out even more, so we travelled further down the coast! But also, we put Layth in leg-irons at the museum. That was also fun.
Day Seven and Eight
We arrived in the Whitsundays on an evening when it was pelting it down, and we cowered in the campervan for the first night.
The day after was similarly damp, but we wandered around Airlie Beach like proper Brits with one umbrella and two grimaces. Got this lovely pic when there was a break in the showers though. Even when it's overcast, the sea is beautifully green and clear.
Since then the weather has got better and better, and we spent today shameless relaxing by the pool and reading books - it was fiercely hot today.
We went to a beach cafe and loafed about drinking coffee and eating cheese.
Layth wants me to write that he had a very palatable banana smoothie near Cannonvale Beach.
The sea really was this blue today, its gorgeous!
Tonight we are going to an open air film screening - after we throw another shrimp on the barbie.
Will blog again soon!
xxxxx Sarah and Layth xxxxx
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