Townsville QLD

Today we epitomised bravery – wearing NSW Blues fan gear deep inside enemy territory, north of the Tropic of Capricorn, on Origin decider night no less!

We departed Airlie Beach at a respectable time this morning under yet another sun shower. Honestly, Queensland’s weather seems incapable of committing to a single season for more than about 20 minutes.

It was a relatively short drive today, with a detour for coffee and brunch in Bowen. Naturally, no visit would be complete without stopping for a happy snap at the Big Mango. At around 10m tall and modelled on the iconic Kensington Pride variety, it’s a fitting tribute to Australia’s biggest mango-growing region.

We rolled into Townsville around lunchtime to a gloriously sunny 27° afternoon. After checking into our lake view ensuite site at Townsville Lakes Holiday Park, the boys headed straight for the pool while Anthony tackled the day’s most important task – fixing the caravan TV aerial to ensure reception for tonight’s State of Origin decider!

Come game time however, we followed a hot tip from a local (potentially risky move in itself) and ventured to the Seaview Hotel on the Townsville waterfront. Apart from us, just about every person in the place is wearing Queensland colours. Wish us luck! If this is my last post, it’s been a pleasure 😆

P.S. Final score 30-12, go the blues! Our local team curse prevails - wherever we go the local team loses!Read more