Straight off the ferry from Maggie we were reunited with Bruce (the Bruce Highway that is) and a local tip from a waitress in Townsville had us heading straight for Crystal Creek about 1 hour north of Townsville where the boys took advantage of the natural waterslides of Little Creek and Big Creek. The water was icy but the kids didn’t seem to notice at all.
Passing more sugar cane fields we entered cassowary country on our way to Mission Beach and the hunt began for our first sighting. Mission Beach is the birthplace of the Great Barrier Reef marine park, thanks to a dedicated group of conservationists approx. 40 years ago who decided more could be done to preserve our national treasure.
It is a hippy town on the beach, full of backpackers and nomads as well as mosquitos and allegedly a few cassowaries (sadly not confirmed by this trio). It is also the first point on the trip north where the rainforest literally meets the sea and the coastal drive is spectacular.
We would have loved an extra day or two soaking up the holiday vibe here but we had a special package arriving at Cairns airport – our second Gary, who will complete the foursome that will take on one of our country’s great frontiers – the Cape York peninsula.
With one night in Cairns pre-departure we took advantage of a full bar, restaurant and a hotel room before the next 10 days of 6am wake up calls, tents, dirtroads and camp cooking as we venture to the northern most point of the mainland.
no fixed address... 