It's nearly the end of October.
Both Steve and I have had our birthdays without much fanfare.
I turned 36 a week and a half ago, and Steve turned 38 five days later. We bought ourselves a GPS unit for the car for our trip to Cardwell, and decided that it would be our birthday present to each other.
Steve then got me a couple of scratchies (one from Cheyenne and one from him) to go in the cards, and I did the same for him. I won $15 on one of mine. Steve hasn't scratched either of his yet. Maybe he thinks if he keeps them long enough they might change into big winners, lol.
I also received a decorative handbag dangle thingy from Kaylene, $50 from my brother to go towards buying some new summer clothes, and my mum gave me some money to start me off with fixing up my teeth at the dentist. I'm not altogether sure just how far the money will get me, as I'm positive I'm going to need a mouthful of fillings at the very least, but I have an appointment at the end of the week, so I'll find out soon enough :(
Monday, October 26, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
White Water Rafting
Friday was an early start for Steve, but thankfully Cheyenne and I got to sleep in for a change! Steve, Helena, Jason, Robert and Brooks headed off to Tully to go white water rafting in Tully Gorge. It was another hazy day, but the sun was shining and there was a slight breeze.
Steve phoned later to let me know that the tour guide said they’d be having lunch at a particular vantage point, then after that, there’d be another good photo opportunity further down river.
Due to several back packers in hired camper vans, doing 80 km/h flat out on the single lane highway (God Bless the QLD Govt. – they’ve increased all our regos, why can’t they spend the money widening our main highway north?), Cheyenne and I arrived at the lunch area a little too late to see all but the last two groups of rafters. We did find the second vantage point further down river however, and waited for them all to flash past.
I did manage to get a couple of photos of them as they went past, and several scenic shots of the Tully Gorge as well. Just as well, since it would have really made my day (NOT) if I’d driven an hour each way along a narrow winding road and completely missed them…
Here they come!
Steve bought himself a souvenir photo as well, so despite the difficulty of being at the right place at the right time, we did still end up with a few shots of the day's fun.
Steve phoned later to let me know that the tour guide said they’d be having lunch at a particular vantage point, then after that, there’d be another good photo opportunity further down river.
Due to several back packers in hired camper vans, doing 80 km/h flat out on the single lane highway (God Bless the QLD Govt. – they’ve increased all our regos, why can’t they spend the money widening our main highway north?), Cheyenne and I arrived at the lunch area a little too late to see all but the last two groups of rafters. We did find the second vantage point further down river however, and waited for them all to flash past.
It was a really picturesque place to wait, and would have made a nice shady picnic spot, had we not been rushing out of the car to scramble down the track in case we missed the rafts again!
I did manage to get a couple of photos of them as they went past, and several scenic shots of the Tully Gorge as well. Just as well, since it would have really made my day (NOT) if I’d driven an hour each way along a narrow winding road and completely missed them…
Here they come!
There they go!
Steve bought himself a souvenir photo as well, so despite the difficulty of being at the right place at the right time, we did still end up with a few shots of the day's fun.
Hazy Days, Waterfalls and 20 Litres of Vodka
When the sun came up on Thursday, it revealed a smoky haze. Not the red dust storm that had hit Sydney and Brisbane, but it turned the sky grey nonetheless.
We had no particular plans, so decided to drive up towards Mission Beach, stopping along the way at Murray Falls. This is a very pretty waterfall, with a picnic area and swimming hole.
We had no particular plans, so decided to drive up towards Mission Beach, stopping along the way at Murray Falls. This is a very pretty waterfall, with a picnic area and swimming hole.
We decided to have a sausage sizzle for lunch, then headed to the water to cool off. There were a couple of nice deep pools, surrounded by smooth, water-rounded rocks, which some kids were sliding down.
These kids kindly let us take turns using their rock sliding boards – cut from plastic 20 litre Vodka drums. Such a brilliant idea! They’d climb to the top of the rock, pour a bucket of water down the side to make the sliding path slippery, then sit on the board and slide down the rock, into the icy cold running water at the bottom. It was heaps of fun, although I did manage to have a stack whilst trying to race Steve. Got a bit of air, banged my elbow and came down hard on the raised edge of the plastic (and boy, did I get a whopper of a bruise on my right butt cheek!)
(Hopefully, if Blogger does what it's supposed to do, this will be a short video of me sliding down the rocks on a "Vodka board")
After we finished swimming, we drove to Mission Beach, however the lousy visibility prevented us from having a decent view of the islands. Even Dunk Island was lost in the haze, so it isn't worth uploading any photos of that.
Still, for a completely unplanned, lazy day, we had the best fun.
These kids kindly let us take turns using their rock sliding boards – cut from plastic 20 litre Vodka drums. Such a brilliant idea! They’d climb to the top of the rock, pour a bucket of water down the side to make the sliding path slippery, then sit on the board and slide down the rock, into the icy cold running water at the bottom. It was heaps of fun, although I did manage to have a stack whilst trying to race Steve. Got a bit of air, banged my elbow and came down hard on the raised edge of the plastic (and boy, did I get a whopper of a bruise on my right butt cheek!)
(Hopefully, if Blogger does what it's supposed to do, this will be a short video of me sliding down the rocks on a "Vodka board")
After we finished swimming, we drove to Mission Beach, however the lousy visibility prevented us from having a decent view of the islands. Even Dunk Island was lost in the haze, so it isn't worth uploading any photos of that.
Still, for a completely unplanned, lazy day, we had the best fun.
Wedding Anniversary and day trip to Cairns
Wednesday 23rd September - our 9th Wedding Anniversary.
As we didn’t budget for a lot of extras on our holiday, we decided that we wouldn’t do all activities together. I’d go to Cairns with Bec, Daniel and Daniel’s parents Rob and Cathy, to go on the Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail today, and Steve would do the white water rafting in Tully Gorge (that he really wanted to do) on Friday.
Another early start of course, as we had to be at Freshwater Station in Cairns by 9.30am, and it’s about a 3 hour drive from Cardwell. A lovely day dawned though, and it had really started to warm up by the time we arrived in Cairns. First stop was a detour to the gift shop to buy Scenic Railway fridge magnets. (I have to get one from each place I visit, mostly to annoy Steve, lol)
Here's some of the pertinent info from the tourist guide - "Completed in 1891, the 37 km of track from Cairns to Kuranda ascends 328 metres and includes 15 tunnels, 37 bridges and 98 curves"
Barron Falls were also running nicely, and I got some lovely shots from the viewing platform at Barron Falls Station. (see photo below)
We had a few hours in Kuranda before our scheduled trip back on the Skyrail, so we wandered around the shops and markets then had an overpriced lunch in one of the pubs. After lunch, there was more browsing around the shops, where I taste-tested and bought a bottle of Mango Port, before heading to the Skyrail gift shop for (you guessed it) another fridge magnet!
The Skyrail gondolas seat 6, so we were able to travel together. It is almost like flying, being that high above the rainforest canopy. There was another fantastic view of Barron Falls and further downstream to the Hydro-Electric Plant. There are two stations along the route back down from Kuranda. We got off at Red Peak to walk along the rainforest boardwalk, then boarded another gondola for the rest of the trip down from the mountains.
Kuranda Skyrail Station - looking out over Daniel and Bec's shoulders to the next gondola
View out over the rainforest canopy from the Skyrail gondola
Self in the gondola on the downhill stretch
As we didn’t budget for a lot of extras on our holiday, we decided that we wouldn’t do all activities together. I’d go to Cairns with Bec, Daniel and Daniel’s parents Rob and Cathy, to go on the Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail today, and Steve would do the white water rafting in Tully Gorge (that he really wanted to do) on Friday.
Another early start of course, as we had to be at Freshwater Station in Cairns by 9.30am, and it’s about a 3 hour drive from Cardwell. A lovely day dawned though, and it had really started to warm up by the time we arrived in Cairns. First stop was a detour to the gift shop to buy Scenic Railway fridge magnets. (I have to get one from each place I visit, mostly to annoy Steve, lol)
Here's some of the pertinent info from the tourist guide - "Completed in 1891, the 37 km of track from Cairns to Kuranda ascends 328 metres and includes 15 tunnels, 37 bridges and 98 curves"
The Kuranda Scenic Railway really lived up to its name, but, as everyone is environmentally conscious these days, it was rather hard to get decent photos through the trees.
Although it is dry season, Stony Creek Falls are running, so I did almost manage to get the “postcard” photo, albeit with a narrower stream of water tumbling over the falls than you would usually see in postcards.
Barron Falls were also running nicely, and I got some lovely shots from the viewing platform at Barron Falls Station. (see photo below)
We had a few hours in Kuranda before our scheduled trip back on the Skyrail, so we wandered around the shops and markets then had an overpriced lunch in one of the pubs. After lunch, there was more browsing around the shops, where I taste-tested and bought a bottle of Mango Port, before heading to the Skyrail gift shop for (you guessed it) another fridge magnet!
The Skyrail gondolas seat 6, so we were able to travel together. It is almost like flying, being that high above the rainforest canopy. There was another fantastic view of Barron Falls and further downstream to the Hydro-Electric Plant. There are two stations along the route back down from Kuranda. We got off at Red Peak to walk along the rainforest boardwalk, then boarded another gondola for the rest of the trip down from the mountains.
Kuranda Skyrail Station - looking out over Daniel and Bec's shoulders to the next gondola
View out over the rainforest canopy from the Skyrail gondola
Self in the gondola on the downhill stretchA quick stop off in Cairns to go to JB Hi-Fi, so that Bec could buy a charger for her dead camera battery, then we headed back home to Cardwell.
When I arrived home I had to hurry and get dressed because Steve had arranged for us to have dinner at the restaurant at Cardwell Marina for our 9th wedding anniversary. Helena, Jason and their family kindly offered to look after Cheyenne so that we could eat dinner in peace for a change.
All in all, it was a very nice day, and I’m glad I decided to go to Kuranda.
When I arrived home I had to hurry and get dressed because Steve had arranged for us to have dinner at the restaurant at Cardwell Marina for our 9th wedding anniversary. Helena, Jason and their family kindly offered to look after Cheyenne so that we could eat dinner in peace for a change.
All in all, it was a very nice day, and I’m glad I decided to go to Kuranda.
And We're Off...
(Well, actually we're home, but the internet access while we were away was expensive and a bit slow, so now that we're back I can finally upload my holiday blog)
We were on the road at 3am, as planned, with only a small amount of resistance from Cheyenne. “It’s still night time!” She was a little happier when she realized that even though the sun wasn’t up yet, it was her birthday already. The song playing on the radio as we drove off down our street was “Road To Nowhere”, which we thought was quite appropriate.
We were on the road at 3am, as planned, with only a small amount of resistance from Cheyenne. “It’s still night time!” She was a little happier when she realized that even though the sun wasn’t up yet, it was her birthday already. The song playing on the radio as we drove off down our street was “Road To Nowhere”, which we thought was quite appropriate.
Happy 6th birthday, Cheyenne!
Our first stop was the BP Travel Centre Caboolture, to meet up with our travelling companions. Going on the holiday with us were friends Helena and Jason, their two kids Chante and Robert, Robert's mate Brookes, Jason's brother Daniel and his girlfriend Bec. Steve had offered our spare seat to Chante, so that she didn’t have to squeeze into the back seat of the Mazda BT50 with the two boys. It also meant that Cheyenne had someone to talk to on the way up. The girls kept each other amused for 14 hours, luckily for us!
The trip was reasonably uneventful, other than Steve losing a bearing cap off the boat trailer and having to stop at Supercheap in Rockhampton to buy a pair of bearing buddies, and re-grease the wheel bearing. A late afternoon stop at KFC in Mackay, and we were on the road again, arriving in Cannonvale around 6.30pm. This gave us just enough time to check into the cabins at the Seabreeze caravan park, have a shower, walk up the road to Hungry Jacks to have dinner, and get back in time to watch the Broncos game.
Sunday morning, after feeding some lorikeets that landed on the railing of our cabin, we drove out to the lookout at Shute Harbour, took a few photos in Airlie Beach, and hit the road again, arriving in Cardwell by mid-afternoon.
Hand feeding lorikeets at the caravan park at Cannonvale.
Home sweet home for the week
The cabins are very basic, but are located together, close to the amenities block. The three cabins have their own covered bbq area with outdoor setting, which is just as well, seeing as the only cooking facilities the cabins have is a microwave (with only a small microwave jug to cook in!) and an electric frypan. Steve did bring up his single burner gas cooker, but there is, of course, no saucepan, so cooking the cheerios and hotdogs could present a challenge!
View from Cardwell Beach near the jetty, showing part of Hinchinbrook Island in the background
An evening visitor on the railing of the cabin.
On Monday morning the boys took their boats out and went fishing, while the girls drove back into Ingham to do a bit of grocery shopping and have lunch.
We have a few ideas of things we’d like to see and do while we are in the area, including a day trip to Cairns, but I guess we’ll have to see how things pan out.
We have a few ideas of things we’d like to see and do while we are in the area, including a day trip to Cairns, but I guess we’ll have to see how things pan out.
Friday, September 18, 2009
1000 Miles Away (Road Trip)
"Estimated time of arrival 9.30 a.m.
Been up before the sun and now I'm tired before I even begin."
Ah, classic Hoodoo Gurus. Love that song! Apart from the ETA being slightly different (more like 4 or 5pm !), I think it'll be the theme song for our trip! Instead of resting up before we leave, we've had several rather late nights this last week, getting everything ready, so we will definitely be up before the sun and tired before we even begin!
Yes, we're leaving home Saturday morning at 0300 hours (and in the words of another well-known quote from Good Morning Vietnam... OMG THAT'S EARLY! ), meeting our travelling partners at the Burpengary BP Travel Centre, filling up the tanks, grabbing a coffee and heading north.
The ultimate destination is Cardwell, on the Hinchinbrook Channel, however we are only going as far as Cannonvale the first day. Cannonvale is on the road out from Proserpine to Airlie Beach. We were only going as far as Mackay, except that it seems rather difficult to book one night's accommodation there during school holidays.
We figure it will be about a 14 hour drive (hence the ungodly departure time), although everyone you talk to seems to have varying estimates. "Oh yeah, we've done Mackay in 10 hours", for example. Sure, OK, but were you sticking to the speed limit?? According to the RACQ Trip Planner it is 1078 kms from our place to Cannonvale, then another 434 from Cannonvale to Cardwell. (Not quite 1000 miles, but around 940 anyway)
Despite my lack of enthusiasm for the early start, I'm sure I will be OK. I do feel rather sorry for Cheyenne though, as she will be spending the majority of her 6th birthday in the back seat of the Navara. Yes, her birthday is the first day of the school holidays, and she'll be stuck in the car for 14 hours! We do have a portable DVD player in the car for her, and she has a brand new Nintendo DS and 3 games, which we got her for her birthday, but it isn't as fun as having friends over for a party. At least she'll be able to say "Mummy and Daddy took me on holidays for my birthday!"
Anyway, I really need to go and finish the last minute packing, then see about getting the fan belt replaced on the Navara... in between the million and one other things I still need to do. Don't even get me started! Steve did have a spare fan belt "just in case", but notices last night there's a worn patch/hole in the current one.
Hopefully I will be able to get to an internet cafe while we are away, to blog some more about our holiday. Stay tuned.
Been up before the sun and now I'm tired before I even begin."
Ah, classic Hoodoo Gurus. Love that song! Apart from the ETA being slightly different (more like 4 or 5pm !), I think it'll be the theme song for our trip! Instead of resting up before we leave, we've had several rather late nights this last week, getting everything ready, so we will definitely be up before the sun and tired before we even begin!
Yes, we're leaving home Saturday morning at 0300 hours (and in the words of another well-known quote from Good Morning Vietnam... OMG THAT'S EARLY! ), meeting our travelling partners at the Burpengary BP Travel Centre, filling up the tanks, grabbing a coffee and heading north.
The ultimate destination is Cardwell, on the Hinchinbrook Channel, however we are only going as far as Cannonvale the first day. Cannonvale is on the road out from Proserpine to Airlie Beach. We were only going as far as Mackay, except that it seems rather difficult to book one night's accommodation there during school holidays.
We figure it will be about a 14 hour drive (hence the ungodly departure time), although everyone you talk to seems to have varying estimates. "Oh yeah, we've done Mackay in 10 hours", for example. Sure, OK, but were you sticking to the speed limit?? According to the RACQ Trip Planner it is 1078 kms from our place to Cannonvale, then another 434 from Cannonvale to Cardwell. (Not quite 1000 miles, but around 940 anyway)
Despite my lack of enthusiasm for the early start, I'm sure I will be OK. I do feel rather sorry for Cheyenne though, as she will be spending the majority of her 6th birthday in the back seat of the Navara. Yes, her birthday is the first day of the school holidays, and she'll be stuck in the car for 14 hours! We do have a portable DVD player in the car for her, and she has a brand new Nintendo DS and 3 games, which we got her for her birthday, but it isn't as fun as having friends over for a party. At least she'll be able to say "Mummy and Daddy took me on holidays for my birthday!"
Anyway, I really need to go and finish the last minute packing, then see about getting the fan belt replaced on the Navara... in between the million and one other things I still need to do. Don't even get me started! Steve did have a spare fan belt "just in case", but notices last night there's a worn patch/hole in the current one.
Hopefully I will be able to get to an internet cafe while we are away, to blog some more about our holiday. Stay tuned.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Goodbye Mrs J
Cheyenne's Prep teacher, Kelly Johnson, left last Friday to go on maternity leave, so as of this week, PKJ has had a new teacher, Miss Crabtree.
Mrs J has been a fantastic teacher and will be missed very much by Cheyenne and her classmates. The children are sad to see her go, but also excited about (hopefully) getting to see her new baby when it is born. Mrs J is hoping to be back at work sometime next year to see her Prep class "all grown up" as Grade 1 students.
Cheyenne may not know it yet, but your first teacher makes a permanent impression on you, which will shape your attitude towards your education. She is very lucky to have had a great teacher like Mrs J for Prep, and it seems like Miss Crabtree may be just as lovely.
Mrs J has been a fantastic teacher and will be missed very much by Cheyenne and her classmates. The children are sad to see her go, but also excited about (hopefully) getting to see her new baby when it is born. Mrs J is hoping to be back at work sometime next year to see her Prep class "all grown up" as Grade 1 students.
Cheyenne may not know it yet, but your first teacher makes a permanent impression on you, which will shape your attitude towards your education. She is very lucky to have had a great teacher like Mrs J for Prep, and it seems like Miss Crabtree may be just as lovely.
Cheyenne with Mrs Johnson at her Going Away Party.
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