Sydney

Port Macquarie

Byron Bay

Our final hoorah today.  How quickly the end has arrived.  And how lovely to be spending it in Byron Bay, one of our favourite destinations.  So Ricky boy woke with a huge hangover, after stumbling in at nearly 4AM stinking of a kebab and too much booze.  Thankfully he didn't snore but all attempts at sleeping were gone as he hogged the bed and I couldn't wake him.  I rose with a raging throat as this bug that's been plaguing the boys has finally made its way to me.  Not a great way to start the final day and it was made all the worse by the fact that we had to relocate sites as our lovely site was booked for the weekend.  Not that we're complaining as we could have been turfed into the streets looking for alternative accommodation.  Rick masterfully moved the van to the most tricky of spots, and proudly boasted about this caravan parking skills, even in his intoxicated state.  All too late sunshine.  Scarlett caught up with Justine the french girl today and they attempted to play again. Maxie got on his scooter and started hooning around with her little brother in tow. I exchanged details with their parents and gave them our trusty bible of caravan parks to stay at as they make their way north to Cairns.  When all was done we headed out for a drive as the weather wasn't great.  Over to Lennox Head for a look which was pretty and busy with lots of lunchers and holiday makers.  On to Allstonville for a much anticipated look at what I was expecting to be a small town full of crafty shops and picturesque scenery.  It was a lot bigger than I imagined and gee its beautiful countryside with rolling hills and greenery everywhere.  The farms were lovely as was the real estate, with many pretty old weatherboards and country homes.  Very nice.  The rain set in so we headed back through town to the caravan park.  The streets were packed and there were traffic jams everywhere.  Obviously everyone decided to go shopping and coffeeing given the beach was so grim.  We all piled onto the bed back at the van, jumped under the doona and put ABC2 Kids on and the kids were happy.  And so were we.  An easy dinner and early to bed for an early start in the morning.  To where?  Maybe Sydney, maybe Port Macquarie.  We'll just have to see where the wind blows us, but the kids and parents are finally getting excited about going home.

Byron Bay

On to Byron Bay today as we farewelled our beloved Noosa and of course QLD.  It was a sad moment as we crossed the border back into familiar territory filled with yellow number plates.  We all cheered when we saw the "Welcome to New South Wales" sign, but I must admit it was pretty sad to say good bye to such as beautiful state.  And almost instantly we felt the cold weather and shivered over the border.  The kids travelled beautifully colouring in most of the way and singing and grooving for the last hour as we hit civilisation.  We've come to stay at the caravan park on Clarke's Beach again and this time we're backing on to the beach which is pretty special and a fitting end to a splendid holiday.  We took our time getting organised this afternoon and hung out meeting the neighbours and other people staying at the park.  We headed into town for a drive and then stopped in at the famous Byron Bay Hotel for a few beers before venturing down the road for some Thai.  It was lovely and just as good as the last time we were here.  The kids ate till they could eat no more and happily coloured in as Rick and I scoffed everything in sight.  Home to bed with full belly's and to listen to those gorgeous waves crashing just outside our window.  What a magic way to end the day.  Cooktown feels like a million miles from here, and it is.  What a shame Lindfields so close.

Noosa

A quiet day today.  We headed out to Mick and Arianne's place for morning tea. The kids had a ball playing with Toby and Hamish's toys, who were both at school sadly.  We barely heard a peep out of them, which was very pleasant given how full on they've been of late. The weather was OK, a bit cloudy but not cold so we sat outside and admired their handy work in the garden.  They bought acreage just outside of Noosa on the way to Kev and Sarah's house.  Its a lovely area and they have been madly landscaping and making some updates inside.  It looks great and I am very envious of the work in the garden.  We left early afternoon and headed to Belmondo's for an easy lunch, which is a bit like Jones the Grocer so I was in heaven.  The kids were feral unfortunately so so much for that. On to the Doctors to take Maxie and Zach for a check up as both have been coughing and Maxie can't seem to shake his green nose.  Antibiotics as expected for Max but all good for Mr Zach.  A couple of jobs and a stop over at a few homeware shops and they day was done.  We had planned to go walking along the beach and out around the headland, but it started raining and cooled off quickly so we thought we'd make the most of hanging out in the caravan while we still can.  TV for the kids, a power nap for Rick and I got on the net for a quick surf of more homeware shops.  Early to bed for the kids and we weren't far behind. No pic's again today.

Noosa

Goodbye Sarah and Kevie.  It was good while it lasted but sadly we must move on, to just down the road at the caravan park in Tewantin.  Another good park and its packed.  Given that there's only three to choose from in the whole area, I'm not surprised.  So our move took up a good park of the morning.  The day started with farewells to our friends, then Rick took Scarlett and Max into Alfie's school to drop him off and show the kids around, while I packed and ran after Zachie. Across to the caravan park and there was more organising, this time unpacking outside and trying to get some order inside after living between both the caravan and upstairs at Sarah and Kev's place.  There was lots of washing, beds to be sorted and sheets to be cleaned after Maxies endless snotting all over everything.  Lunch beckoned and then it was time to head out and enjoy this splendid place.  The weather was gorgeous and perfect for a nice stroll. We went across to Noosaville and the kids scootered from one end to the other to the playground and then back again.  Zachie was too cute and bedazzled other walkers as he zoomed past desperate to keep up with the others.  I caught a couple in a restaurant across the road pointing at him in amazement.  He truly is clever and particularly gorgeous on that thing.  And he kept saying "ello" (hello) to everyone that he passed, again too cute and a big hit with the grey nomads and young ladies.  What a smoothie.  A quick trip to the supermarket and them home for dinner.  Taco's tonight, again, at the request of the children.  A nice relaxing day which ended with one of the last meals to be made in the caravano.  Boo-who.

Townsville

A low key day today that started pretty late, although there was a lot of movement early as Miss Scarlett woke to $2 in the glass we had left for the the tooth fairy.  She was beside herself with excitement and dragged the money around all day telling anyone who'd listened that the tooth fairy had given it to her.  Max was in awe all day and eagerly added to Scarlett's story that she had seen the tooth fairy in the flesh by promptly adding "yeh, he came in the middle of the night".  Too cute, and they were both on a high and bouncing off each other all day.  We had a cooked breakfast this morning and ate it outside.  Pretty much everyone around us was packing to move on so we had many farewells, all with grey nomads telling us how lovely our little family was or how the kids reminded them of their grandchildren.  On to The Strand for a play in the water park for an hour or so.  Max and Scarlett had a ball running in and out of the water while Mr Zachie chased the birds and kept me busy.  Maxie befriended a little aboriginal boy and was devastated that he had to leave his new "best mate". We headed out to the main shopping centre for lunch and to do a few chores.  The kids had an ice cream and we stopped in at a bargain basement shop to buy some travel bags in preparation for our trip to Hamilton Island on Wednesday.  Home for spag bol for dinner and minestra fagoli for us. The kids were in bed by 7pm and passed out shortly thereafter. A quiet day but nice all the same.

Townsville

Up early to the markets this morning and they were very busy.  They were better than I remember and there was loads of great produce to buy.  We didn't buy much though as we are trying to clean out the fridge in the lead up to our trip to Hamilton Island.  I managed to do some damage in a couple of shops open along the main street in association with the markets.  I got an Ecoya candle (my favourite), a set of pyjamas for Max and a summer nightie for me, both half price as they were obviously old stock, but fabulous all the same. On to The Strand for the Cultural Festival and it was busy busy.  They had a main stage with performances like dances and singing and heaps of food stalls with cuisine including Thai, Indian, Sri Lankan, Solomon Islands, Italian, and then heaps of dessert places.  The kids had a rainbow frozen slushy thing - holy food colouring and preservatives.  Rick and I ate a Sri Lankan curry with chickpeas and vegies which was pretty yum and some deep fried dessert ball swimming in syrup.  It was a hit. We sat and people watched and soaked up the atmosphere and entertainment for about 2 hours.  Sadly it was a dry zone with plenty of police everywhere.  A little vino would have gone down perfectly. The kids ran around and happily played.  It made both Rick and I homesick for the grandparents and familia.  We wish you were with us and lived just around the corner from you.  Home to the caravan and we put Zachie to sleep, the kids in front of a DVD and Rick took off to Bunnings.  Some bike riding and scootering when dad got home and it was time for dinner.  Sausages and veg and off to bed so mum and dad could watch the final of The Block and the premier of Underbelly, both of which were pretty disappointing.  Big news though, just before bed Miss Scarlett lost her first tooth, her front bottom right hand tooth and she was elated with excitement.  We had to search for it as it obviously fell out while she was eating and she realised it wasn't in her mouth anymore.  We found it on the floor when I stepped on it and all made a huge fuss.  She was beaming and couldn't get to get to bed quick enough so the tooth fairy would visit.  Its a shame those teeth don't fall out more often.

Townsville

Well we have officially started our decent and I am in mourning.  After much discussion and consultation with some locals we decided to give Charters Towers a miss and head back to Townsville via the coastal road.  And so marked the beginning of the end.  We stopped at the Malanda markets 15 minutes down the road and picked up some awesome Indian samosas, mango chilli chutney, spring rolls and spinach fried dumplings called bahl or something like that.  They were delicious and I think I ate about 10 myself.  Porky.  The kids had a play on a jumping castle and drank a cup full of crushed pineapple juice that Maxie suggested I start making for them when we return to Sydney.  No problem. Back in the car and onwards to Townsville for a five hour straight drive, probably the longest we've done yet.  The kids were excellent despite the broken DVD player.  Bloody Zachie has destroyed this one too damaging the socket where the power chord is plugged in.  So there was lots of colouring in and listening to Triple J but no sleeping sadly.  We arrived around 3PM back at the Rowes Bay Caravan Park.  We set up and went for a stroll along the foreshore.  It was really windy but that didn't stop the hordes of people walking, exercising and frolicking everywhere.  There was also an international festival on with food stalls, rides, and bands playing.  There were loads of people and lots of dodgy looking types around so I think we might head back during the day tomorrow.  Chicken and veg for dinner, a dose of Nemo on TV and the kids finally hit the sack at 8.30PM.  A chat on the phone to my mum while Rick watched Apocalypse Now and the day was done.

Atherton

A lovely day today as we covered about 100km around the area.  We drove across to Malanda through beautiful farm land and broad acreage. Its so green and the crops are thriving.  It reminds me of the Southern Highlands in parts with green fields and rolling pastures in the distance. Its very different to the landscape along the coast where sugar cane dominates the scenery. The Malanda Falls were pretty and they have built a swimming pool at the base of it.  It was green and not so inviting but a lovely place to sit all the same.  We drove into town and stopped at the Dairy Centre Museum and stayed for lunch.  It was pretty low key with lots of poster boards telling the stories of locals who pioneered the area. On to Millaa Millaa where we saw nothing really, but did we stumble upon the most amazing logs of kauri pines taller than Rick in diameter. A tree fell in 1993 and has been cut into massive logs and moved to a shed of no noteworthiness at the back of the main street. We happened to stumble upon them and they were incredible. 870 years old with a diameter of up to 10 metres.  Amazing.  Further up the road we ventured along the waterfall circuit, stopping at Millaa Milla Falls, Zillie Falls and Ellinjaa Falls.  All very pretty and well worth the drive. Millaa Millaa Falls were packed with plenty of tourist catching some rays and taking a dip. A mini bus of Japanese tourists took a particular liking to Zachie and kept pointing at him and watching every move, laughing, gooing and gaaing and pratilling on in their native tongue. Evidently he was more exciting than the scenery. On the way home we headed past The Crater and Dinner Falls that were hidden in yet another rainforest. The track in was tarred and narrow but OK until we got closer to the crater where it had a very steep decent on the cliff side. The Australian Museum had a team of researchers diving in the crater, the first group to survey it since the 1950s. We had an interesting chat and Maxie asked way too many questions.  We took the track some other tourists suggested back via the waterfall and it was very scary.  A goat track, slippery, steep and I cannot believe they would encourage it with three small kids.  I was scared, Rick was very stressed and the kids were tripping over and frightening the hell out of us.  Thank god it came to an end and we were in one piece.  Never again.  Dinner beckoned and on the way home we stopped in at the Atherton International Club that was having an Italian night.  It reminded us of the Yoogali Catholic Club and we felt very at home amongst the local Italians.  And dinner was as expected, just as the Nonnies would make back home in Griffith at one of the clubs.  Rick thought the meatballs were excellent which is pretty impressive given his educated palate in meatballs.  Home to bed and the kids were asleep within minutes. Zachie feel asleep in car and I changed a stinky nappy, dressed him and put him to bed without so much as a murmur.

Atherton

A day of sightseeing today with the first stop the Strawberry Farm on the outskirts of town.  The lady at the counter was most unfriendly so we bought some jam and got straight back in the car.  No public picking until September and it was too early for home made gelato. The strawberries looked pretty average, so the kids were pretty disappointed.  On to a very old and grand Fig Tree.  It was massive and most impressive.  They've built a boardwalk through the rainforest around it and it was well worth the look.  On to Yungaburra, an historic town about 15 minutes back towards Cairns.  It was a pretty drive through lots of farms, broad acre ones according to farmer Rick.  I got the full rundown on the irrigation systems, machinery blah blah.  Nonno Tony would have been most impressed but it was a little lost on daddy's audience.  Yungaburra was quaint with loads of weatherboard buildings including the pub, a couple of restaurants and coffee shops, a butchers, pharmacy and nic nac shops.  We mulled around town and headed up a back street to some shed thing that Rick had spotted that served groovalicious tea and coffee.  The lady was very nice and the shed was full of eclectic things so we chatted and ended up staying for a coffee and divine chai latte.  The kids played with the interesting toys from yest er year and had a hot chocolate so everyone was most pleased. The owner was an ex chef studying media hoping to make documentaries.  Her name was Lyn Fraser and she told us to expect her name in lights one day. On to the local coffee shop for lunch and Rick had the best home made hamburger Pattie ever, despite being most unhappy with my almost CWA choice of lunch spots. On to Lake Barrine for a look, which turned into a walk around the lake.  Ah, that would be a 6km walk with three kids in a pram on dirt tracks through the rainforest, up and down hills and very close to the edge of a steep cliff in many parts with a narrow track in most parts.  The trees were unbelievable with a couple for kauri pines estimated to be more than 1000 years old.  And another recently fell as a result of cyclone Larry which hit the area pretty badly.  We were pretty knackered by the end and my backside is very sore tonight as I type.  Back into Yungaburra to spot platypus in the local stream just next to the town.  And sure enough there they were although we couldn't seem to get a great viewing of them as they'd duck back under the water too quickly and we couldn't get to the waters edge as the scrub was too thick.  So Rick went bush bashing and videoed them in action.  Meanwhile an older couple came past and started talking to the kids.  They turned out to be tour operators and took us in search of kangaroos that climb and hop through trees.  I think he was pulling our chain.  We didn't spot the roos, but the guides knew everything about the bush and were great with the kids. They were very passionate environmentalists and have been involved in the replanting of the rainforests throughout the area. On to Nicks Pizzeria for dinner and it was fantastic.  The cook an Italian mumma, and her daughter were straight off the boat and could barely speak English. Boy could she make a mean pizza, better than anything I've ever eaten in Griffith and I'd probably even say Haberfield.  I rated it and couldn't stop scoffing.  The kids didn't speak at all through dinner, they were so enjoying it.  Home by 7.30PM, quick showers and a skype with Nanna and Nonno Tony and it was time for bed.  A great day.

Atherton

Farewell Cairns and The Coconut Palms Caravan Park.  You will be missed by the kids.  We headed to Atherton via Gordonvale up the steep and windy climb we received mixed reports on.  It was fine in the end, but as they warned, very windy and extremely steep.  Rick didn't seem concerned although I couldn't bare to look. It was pretty and a gorgeous drive once we got to the top.  The drive was about 45 minutes, so we were in Atherton early afternoon. The caravan park was lovely and we were given a great spot complete with scooter track for the kids to hoon down. And they did. We ventured out for a drive through the main street, which was busy but nothing worth mentioning.  On to the cheese and chocolate factory out of town which the kids loved of course even more so when we stumbled upon the animal nursery they had out the back with chickens, cows and roosters. In to the dairy and we got to see cows being herded into the pens and milked.  The guy working in the pen was particularly odd and squirted milk into the air to show the kids and then started squirting it into his mouth.  He had no teeth and looked like he had been hanging out with cows too much. Anyway the kids thought it was most fancy and needed some encouragement to leave.  A drive back into town to get some groceries and to find a heater as the one in the van has broken and it was supposed to drop to below 10 degrees overnight.  Three stores later and no luck as the shops had shut, it was time to get home.  Cereal for dinner at the request of the kids and the day was over.