From Mission Beach to Bluewater
Dear Adventurous Reader,
The water is flowing gently. The ambient noise is now familiar, gentle breeze in the trees, cicadas chirping in the trees, a quick rush of a small lizard into the bushes and the slow moving water, easing gently over rocks.
The only noise that upsets the tranquility is the boys swimming in the water. Splashing and encouraging each other to go on further, past what is comfortable.
The butterflies float through the trees. The illusive cassowary is still unseen by any of us. The parks up here are marvellous and warm and the sweat drips from your brow as we make our way back to the start of the walk for some lunch.
Mission Beach
Jacqui had wanted to stay in Mission Beach, it had been something she did 20 years ago with her family and the picture she painted made it sound wonderful. So we stopped into the the same caravan park and stayed two nights.
The park was a park. Nothing fancy, except the swimming pool which is an attraction to the boys and Jacqui. The tent was barely put up and their bathers were on and they made a line straight to the pool.
I used the time to do some work.
That evening I chatted for a long time to a man from Holland. We talked about the cost of living in Australia, about work, about his travels around Australia - he said he saw a cassowary - and about anything in between.
An discussion on the road is fantastic to have, talking experiences and hardships and it feels like you have made a friend. In the end you part ways, each to your own adventures to see the sun rise and set in different places. You shared an experience and a long talk and all that remains is the memory.
The next night I talked to Dmitrij for a few hours. Again we talked travel, work, life in Germany. He was traveling with friends looking for work to extend their visa. Every day he valued being here, as it was without the stress of life in Germany. We exchanged email addresses and someday we may meet again.
We head south
We have stayed up this way for twelve days. Long slow travel is nice and relaxing. It has been kind to our little people who do not struggle to get into the car seat as much. It has been kind to the older boys who are beginnings to enjoy sitting next to each other again.
We drive down to a planned rest area. It was only 200 kilometers and it was an easy drive. Having driven more than 6,500kms doing 200 seems easy. Most of us rest in the car, some stay awake and play. We stopped for a slushie.
Bluewater. A nice name, a place with nice reviews on WikiCamps and a recommendation from a couple we chatted to at Babinda. It was an excellent place to stop, cold showers out the back of a toilet block, a large playground for the kids to run around on. No crocodiles, from what we could see - although they had been spotted here previously.
We met a family who have been on the road since the 2nd January. They are heading home, southwards. The boys play on the park, they are loud and run until everyone is tired which took a long time to happen. Adeline joins them on the playground, yelling if we took her away to wait for someone to watch her.
Meeting other families on the road has been a highlight for us all. New friends. New adventures. But it is extra special if they have kids too, our boys will run and play and yell and plot together. Everything they were doing with the Millers, but now with new friends.