Day 16 - Bramwell Junction to Seisia

 (Kate)

Day 16 - Bramwell Junction to Seisia

The day did not start well, with the "pre-flight check" revealing that coolant had leaked from the car overnight. No obvious hole or crack could seen but the bottom of the radiator was wet with coolant. The low coolant alarm that Ben had installed for exactly this purpose had not sounded the previous day so it was a slow leak and we had not lost a lot of coolant. Ben added a radiator stop leak additive that he had in the spares box and we ran without pressurising the engine cooling system. The Delica didn't seem to mind all this. Since it is a Sunday, and the mechanic in Seisia wouldn't be open til tomorrow anyway, we decided to check and top up with water periodically and press on, taking it easy and keeping a close eye on the engine temperature. Because we had the time, we stopped at Fruit Bat Falls for a swim, which was great therapy, as we were all a bit stressed about the car. Sitting under the waterfalls themselves gave a great shoulder massage, which we all needed. We pressed on and crossed the Jardine River Ferry into the Northern Peninsula Area. We checked into the Seisia Holiday Park, and it was a couple of stressful hours of camp setup for Kate and Nicole, while Ben and Keith got the radiator out of the car to inspect it. It took us all to the limits of our resilience, but we got there in the end. Ben located the crack that was weeping coolant, and patched it, so that we can get to Darwin, where we'll be able to fit a new one.

There are free-ranging horses in the NPA, and one if them came within a few metres of our tent to check us out, and then moved on. We had visits from one of the town dogs too, who was adorable.

Someone's happy to be going swimming

Artistic photo of our Tevas.

A cute lizard.  Yes, I made sure it had legs before I got close enough to photograph it.

Fruit bat falls.

Seisia holiday park, unpowered section.

One of the town dogs looking for food and pats.

Our camp setup at Seisia

One of the free-ranging local horses.

Day 15 - Hann River to Bramwell Junction

 (Kate)

Day 15 - another big driving day. Hann River Roadhouse to Bramwell Junction Roadhouse. We arrived at 6pm just as they were shutting up shop, and the lady asked us rather grumpily what she could do for us. When we said we'd like to pay for a night of camping, but weren't looking for any hot food as we were self sufficient, she cheered up noticeably. I guess she'd had a long day. There were loads of insects, none of which Keith liked - grasshoppers, moths, beetles, spiders. There was a beautiful flowering redgum next to our campsite but my phone camera wasn't up to the task. There were giant anthills all around. I've really enjoyed seeing how the anthills vary with the changing landscape as we've travelled.  We saw our first snakes today, crossing the road.  One yellow, and one black.  Free Wifi was included with the camping fee at Bramwell Junction, which we all utilized.  It even worked right out to the furthest point from the office, which is where we were camped.  It was nice and windy tonight, which is good for drying our washing.

This grasshopper is 7cm long.  Keith was not impressed.

Day 14 - Bloomfield Beach Camp to Hann River Roadhouse

 (Kate)

Day 14 - Bloomfield Beach Beach Camp to Hann River Roadhouse. A big driving day today. We paused in Cooktown to get supplies, and got chatting to a fellow Delica Driver, as you do when you have a particular type of car. It's like the secret Delica club or something. From Cooktown we took the Battlecamp Road, then the Peninsula Developmental Road, stopping to camp at Hann River Roadhouse. Very friendly, highly recommended. WiFi was included in the camp fee, which excited the teens. There is a small here of "guard geese" here, and a pet Emu called Ozzie, who free-ranges amongst the camping guests.

Day 13 - Port Douglas to Bloomfield Beach Camp.

 

Day 13 - Pt Douglas to Bloomfield Beach camp, via the Bloomfield track. It rained overnight and humidity was 90% while we were packing up, which means we were all hot and sweaty, and the tent was wet, and nobody was in a good mood when we were done. Nevertheless, we headed north on the Mossman-Daintree road, and as soon as we crossed the Daintree River, we started climbing into the rainforest that grows all the way to the sea. It seemed magical to us. So much greenery. So unlike Adelaide. We stopped at the Daintree Discovery Centre, and had our lunch at one of the many picnic tables nestled in the forest. We went for a stroll on the boardwalk, and marvelled at the sights and sounds of the rainforest. We then kept driving, following the Cape Tribulation Road all the way to Bloomfield Beach Camp. This included the 4wd only "Bloomfield Track", which was a bit entertaining in the rain. Bloomfield Beach Camp is a lovely small park with powered and unpowered sites plus a few cabins. it's nestled in the rain forest, but close enough to the sea that we could hear the waves breaking, which was nice to go to sleep to. Luckily for us there was a break in the rain while we set up camp, but then it rained for a while, so we set up "tarpaulin city" to keep ourselves and our stuff dry.

Day 12 - Port Douglas Recovery Day

 

(Kate)

Day 12 - driving around to charge the batteries day, because it's still overcast and raining, so the solar panels aren't capturing a whole lot. We're all feeling pretty smashed today after our big day at the reef yesterday, so we decided to stay another day at Pt Douglas to recover, rather than breaking camp and moving on. We drove to the Mosman Gorge info centre, which was pretty amazing. It's only 20km inland but even more lush and tropical, if that's even possible. We decided we'll come back here tomorrow and do one of the walks.. We then drove the short distance to Bonny Doon (yes, that's right, "we're going to Bonny Doon....." although it's not the actual one referred to in the movie) but decided not to go for a walk on the beach there due all the signs with crocodiles on them. We could smell sugar cane being processed at a nearby plant. Incredibly sweet smell. We then drove back to camp, and relaxed in the Caravan Park's pool for the first time since we arrived, and it was pretty nice. Keith and Nicole checked out the waterslides and said they were pretty fun. Early dinner and early to bed, for tomorrow we move northwards...

This is a random photo of a letterbox that I thought was creative.  We thought it looked a bit like Donkey from Shrek.

A train hauling sugar-cane.

Day 11 - Snorkling Trip on the Great Barrier Reef

 

(Kate)

Day 11 - Snorkling trip to the Great Barrier Reef. We had to be at the Marina at 8:15am, so once again, we actually had to set an alarm (and I thought we were done setting alarms for 15 weeks!!) We chose Calypso because they ran a smaller boat (less people- 40 people total including the 6 crew) and visited 3 snorkling sites instead of operating off a big pontoon. Nicole and I both experience motion sickness, so we duly took tablets before departure. The trip out and back to the reef is 90 minutes each way. Nicole was fine, but I lost my breakfast before we even got to the reef and felt seedy for the rest of the day. BUT I have no regrets, because seeing the reef with my own eyes was AMAZING. So many colours and shapes. Some coral looked like giant brains or clumps of potatoes, and others looked like flowers. It was like a giant underwater garden. And the fish! Wow, wow and wow. Blue fish, yellow fish, speckled fish, stripey fish. Schools of mini fish that darted this way and that, mostly in unison. It was one of the most beautiful sights we have ever seen. I only did the first snorkel, and spent the other 2 lying down on the deck in the sun, enjoying the gentle non-nauseating rocking of the boat at rest on the sea.

All the underwater photos were taken by one of the Calypso Crew, who then sold them to us on a very cute "Dory" shaped flash drive.  We went to Opal Reef, Tongue Reef, and Agincourt Reef (these can be found on the map photo).  The lyrics to the John Denver song "Calypso" were pinned up on the wall of the cabin.  If you'd like a tangent to today's story, google Calypso and Jacques Cousteau.