Today we did the usual thing when we get to a new town, check out the shops, I don’t know why, when we don’t have much money to spend, but we both enjoy having a look around the shopping centres of a town, it gives us a feel for the place.

Our day began by travelling north up the Bruce Highway. We stopped off at the Frosty Mango and had Mango Smoothie and Mango Cheesecake. It seems like we’ve been in the tropics for a while and hadn’t had any tropical food so this was our chance, it was delicious. I expected that we’d see farmers selling produce at their farm gate but we haven’t seen many at all. The fruit and vegies are quite expensive in the supermarkets considering a lot of it is grown locally.

We headed for Ingham, and from there we were going to Wallaman Falls which is the longest single drop waterfall in Australia. We got to Ingham and started following the signs to Wallaman and found out that the roads were also leading us towards Mt Fox. We are going to a rally at Mt Fox on the weekend, so we decided to leave Wallaman Falls until then, it was still another hours drive from Ingham.

I had several places in mind to visit today if we had the time, so we headed south on the Bruce Highway, back towards Townsville and turned off towards Jourama Falls.

The sign suggested that the walk to Jourama Falls would take 1 hour to do the 1.5km walk. Tony decided not to go, so I left him reading the newspaper while I headed off. The walk to the falls was quite steep at times and there was a crossing through a creek where you hop from rock to rock, with a chain to hold on to. With stopping to take photos it did take about an hour to do.

After having a cup of tea and some fruit we were back on the road going to Paluma. We rode up 18km of winding mountain road to the village of Paluma where mists are common and in summer the area is often cloaked in clouds. We took some photos at McClelland Lookout and did the Paluma Rainforest Walk. Paluma Range National Park is World Heritage listed Wet Tropics Rainforest.

We went to go and have a cuppa at Paluma Dreaming but they are closed on Thursdays. The couple who run the place, Karen and Steve (Gray Bear), were sitting out the back having a drink and we stopped and had a chat with them. Steve gave us a copy of a poem he had written.

Going down the mountain we stopped off at Little Crystal Creek where a magnificent stone bridge was built as an employment scheme during the Depression. It was a pretty area with water cascading down the rocks and into crystal clear ponds, huge buttressed trees, tree ferns and palms. It would be a lovely spot to stop for a swim on a hot day. Unfortunately Tony slipped on the rocks and bruised his leg quite painfully. After taking a few more photos we were losing light so we headed back to Townsville.

There are no words to describe

The feeling that we share

Climbing the Range to Paluma

Breathing the clear, clean air

Dodging the four wheel drivers

Taking a spill and a dive

Living our lives to the fullest

Glad to be alive

I’ve sweated all week in the office

I’ve worn my fingers to the bone

I had a big fight with my partner

There’s no bloody place like home

I’ve decided to get a new Honda

Or maybe a Harley or two

Heck, wouldn’t that make you spew.

I like to have a hot breakfast

Maybe Baked Beans on toast

Bacon and Eggs will fill me

And Karen’s a real good host

It’s Paluma Dreaming next Sunday

Topped up with the ride up the hill

I look out for the ones in their new cars

Some of them, real bloody dills.

So to all of you folks in the lowlands

Take the step and get a new bike

Get a Harley or even a Honda

Any two wheels, you’ll be right.

In the afternoon we went out for a ride around town. We finished up going up Castle Hill late in the afternoon. Castle Hill is the rocky outcrop in the middle of town. There’s a 2.8km road to the top and the entire length of the road people were either walking, running or riding pushbikes up the hill, I don’t know if the gyms in Townsville have any clients, they’re all out climbing the hill. We took the easy way and road the Harley up.

From the top of the hill you can see all of Townsville, the islands off the coast and the mountains that surround the town, spectacular views.

The saying it’s a small world proved to be true today when we met up with a couple who we’d met previously when we were all staying at the same caravan park in Nambour. Bob and Jan have been travelling up the coast also heading for Cairns but staying in different towns to us, until now. They are staying with friends of theirs who live in Townsville and prior to that they stayed at Airlie Beach (Bob has the sandfly bites to prove it). We swapped cards with them and maybe we’ll meet up again in Cairns. When we were in Nambour, Bob told us that his family had organised a Harley ride for him last year for his 60^th birthday.

I couldn’t believe that with all the people who are travelling around the country and all the tourist attractions and caravan parks that there are, that you could run into the same people twice. It’s nice to know that you’ll once again come across some of the nice people that you meet.

VIEW FROM CASTLE HILL

TONY AND BOB

We went for a ride to the top of Mt Fox with some people from Mackay to a spot where you can climb a crater. I climbed to the top with them (Tony didn’t because of his sore leg) not all of us made it to the top, some quit because it was too steep. The top of the crater was a bit of a letdown, part of the rim had brooked away years ago and it no longer holds water. Still, I can say I did it, some of the locals I was talking to have lived there all their lives and never climbed it.

We thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and Tony won a new helmet, t shirt and trophy for the rider who travelled the greatest distance to the rally. Good people, good times.

 
RIDING TO THE CRATER                                                                              AT THE SUMMIT
 

                   AROUND THE CAMPFIRE                                        SHORTEST DISTANCE AND LONGEST DISTANCE WINNERS

After we set up our tent we went for a swim in the pool and then sat in the sun for a while relaxing, wondering what our friends and family in Victoria were up to, certainly not swimming.

We can’t believe the difference in atmosphere between the two parks we’ve stayed at in Townsville, this one has so many friendly people staying in it, the last park we were in people looked the other way as they passed so they didn’t have to speak to each other. I think it’s the camp kitchen that is the difference, people who stay in parks with camp kitchens seem to like to socialise more.

We met two young guys from Canada who are on a working holiday, an Irish girl and a couple from Melbourne. We also met Lorraine and Don, a retired couple, who have been touring Australia for seven years in their motorhome with motorbike in tow.

After lunch we went to town to collect the mail and wash the bike. We parked outside the post office in the motorbike parking bays (they’re all over Queensland) between two other Harley Electra Glides. We spotted the riders sitting on a bench so we went to say hello. Val and Bob Gow are half way through a two month tour of Australia with another couple. They ride 500km a day and then have the next day off. We talked for a while, exchanged phone numbers, and they invited us to contact them when we get to Perth.

When we got back to the caravan park there was a note pinned to our tent, it was an invitation for a cuppa at a caravan at the back of the park. We’d met Gary Barker at the rally and his wife, Anne had seen our bike and left the invitation for us. It was great to meet them and we spent ages chatting. They have given us some names and numbers of other Ulyssians to contact on our journey and said that when we’re back in Townsville to let them known and they’ll organise a barbeque for us to meet some other Townsville members. We’ve made so many friends through our Ulysses membership, we really love it!