SpringWanderer

The "Thick Black Line. An Odyssey" in 2017 separated my 32 year career in IT from a new career as a psychotherapist and gave me a taste for travel! Read more

Traveler Thick Black Line. An odyssey
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- Jun 10, 2017
- ☀️ 23 °C
- Altitude: 49 ft
- Australia Queensland Cooktown Harbour -15.47413, 145.2479415°28’27” S 145°14’53” E
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Day 88
On to Cooktown ...
June 10, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
I had another fantastic drive today through stunning scenery.

By chance I find myself in Cooktown during the annual Discovery Festival. The town is named after Captain Cook who beached the Endeavour here to make hull repairs after running aground on the Great Barrier Reef during his first exploration.

Just out of interest, because it's pretty mind-boggling, Cooktown has a population under 3000 and the massive Shire of Cook (area 41,000 square miles, compared to England's 50,000) has a population of about 5000. Correct, 5000. I'd read that Cooktown gets about 26,000 visitors pa and couldn't understand why that was so remarkable - now I understand!Read more
Traveler Samoan dancers at the festival - I was told they all work at the banana farm in Lakeland. I felt a thread joining now back with my time in Hawaii - lovely
6/10/17Reply
Traveler Not what I think of as cattle country, but there are warning signs everywhere and I'd already passed a few small groups. A couple of mins later I passed maybe 50 being herded by 5 or 6 cowpokes. Then a small helicopter ran half a dozen across the road 150m ahead of me. Felt very dramatic!
6/10/17Reply
Traveler Stunning views from the James Earl Lookout just north of Palmer River Roadhouse
6/10/17Reply
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Traveler Thick Black Line. An odyssey
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- Jun 9, 2017
- ☀️ 23 °C
- Altitude: 1,394 ft
- Australia Queensland Wujal Wujal -16.10752, 144.7773716°6’27” S 144°46’39” E
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Day 87
Cairns to Palmer River Roadhouse
June 9, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Oh it's been lovely to get back into the Australian bush. I decided to head towards Cooktown, which is far north as I'm planning to go. The route from Cairns winds up through Kuranda National Park - the oldest rainforest on the planet then I turned onto the Mulligan Highway which will take me the rest of the way.

That first part was quite taxing - a winding uphill road with lots of traffic on my tail, so I can't say I enjoyed that, but the Mulligan Highway is a delight. I drove past a few places I'd like to stop, just because I didn't have time to throw the van's anchor out, but I'll be retracing my steps in a few days because this is the only paved road this far north in the Cape York Peninsula (the eastern part of Australia that nearly joins on to Papua New Guinea).

I stopped at the Palmer River Roadhouse overnight. Hardly anyone else was there, so I almost felt like I was alone in the bush 😎 (apart from the showers and electric feed!)Read more
Traveler Lookout as I left Cairns
6/10/17Reply
Traveler Carefully manicured mango trees at the Golden Drop Mango Winery. More for the fridge!
6/10/17Reply
Traveler Stunning Bill's Lookout on the Mulligan Highway
6/10/17Reply
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Traveler Thick Black Line. An odyssey
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- Jun 8, 2017
- ⛅ 25 °C
- Altitude: 36 ft
- Australia Queensland Cairns Manunda Martyn Street Sports Park -16.91269, 145.7575516°54’46” S 145°45’27” E
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Day 86
Camper!
June 8, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Not much physical movement, but all has changed 😎

I've only driven a few miles to get supplies and get to my first site. It was quite an adventure with all sorts of clonks and crashes going on behind me as things slid around inside cupboards. Also turned out I hadn't secured the fridge door properly. I've literally just spotted a little peg that holds it shut. Another steep learning curve!

I'm at a regular holiday park tonight - a good place to try things out with some help at hand.

PS. Go UK! Do the right thing! When I was in Tokyo I managed to make arrangements for a proxy vote - thanks proxy ☺Read more
Traveler My dinky toilet/shower
6/8/17Reply
Traveler Bed all made up. I'll probably leave it like this rather than dismantle every morning. I have another seating area I can use (which could be a bed for a 3rd person - I have no idea how 3 would fit in - even 2 would be very cosy!!)
6/8/17Reply
Traveler Btw Sis, I've been thinking about the anglesey caravan ❤
6/8/17Reply
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Traveler Thick Black Line. An odyssey
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- Jun 7, 2017, 10:25 AM
- ⛅ 25 °C
- Altitude: 128 ft
- Australia Queensland Cairns Edge Hill Lily Creek -16.8971, 145.7443416°53’50” S 145°44’40” E
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Day 85
Cairns
June 7, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Oh well finally I've lost the plot. It was bound to happen sometime. Said goodbye to my Airbnb host this morning, packed my bags, was just about to ring for a taxi down to Britz Campervans, checked the time I'm picking it up. 11:30 as I remembered. But TOMORROW!!! It's clear on my planner, just not in my brain ... oops!

All my bookings, apart from a campervan pitch for tonight, are correct so no big deal other than disappointment at having to wait a day!Read more
Helen Maguire Whoops! At least you got to day 85 before making a mistake. :) It's more surprising that this is the first time considering how much you have going on and how much you have had to organise. X
6/7/17Reply
Traveler Yeah!
6/7/17Reply
Traveler I got to meet a cassowary in tourist information 😄
6/7/17Reply
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Traveler Thick Black Line. An odyssey
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- Jun 6, 2017
- ⛅ 25 °C
- Altitude: 26 ft
- Australia Queensland Cairns Aeroglen Lumley Hill -16.87759, 145.7499316°52’39” S 145°44’60” E
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Day 84
Cairns - tropical north Queensland
June 6, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Woo hoo! I'm very excited to be here. Cairns is a very attractive place to fly into; a beautiful coastline and lush green hills.

However I just got a timely reminder from my host's brother that there are crocs everywhere: STAY AWAY FROM THE WATER! It'd be a shame to get this far only to be a snappy snack so I'll heed his warning 🤔Read more
Traveler Swinging round to come in to land. Cairns is in the far distance on the left, right in front of the hills
6/6/17Reply
Traveler The route I'll be taking, up the Captain Cook Highway (him again!) towards Daintree as I go searching for cassowary over the next few days
6/6/17Reply
Sarah Berthelemy Don't get too close to the cassowary either!
6/6/17Reply
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Traveler Thick Black Line. An odyssey
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- Jun 5, 2017
- ⛅ 16 °C
- Altitude: 23 ft
- Australia New South Wales Sydney The Rocks Sydney Cove -33.8592, 151.212933°51’33” S 151°12’46” E
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Day 83
When in Sydney ...
June 5, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
I'm only here for 1 day so sorting out my itinerary hasn't been complex. 2 iconic sights conveniently located next to each other. I'd never felt any interest in seeing Sydney Opera House, so what a revelation today has been. It really is astonishing. Utterly captivating architecture and not at all the shape I thought it was - how amazing is that! I'm deliberately not posting some pics.

This afternoon I took a fast ferry out to Manly and after a bit of a wander around found myself in the very agreeable 4 Pines micro brewery 🙄Read more
Traveler Hurrah for Sydney! A chocolatey delight - actually tasted of choc rather than just being brown 😆
6/4/17Reply
Traveler The design is supposedly inspired by billowing sails. Now I get it.
6/5/17Reply
Traveler I had so much fun taking these pics!
6/5/17Reply
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Traveler Thick Black Line. An odyssey
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- Jun 3, 2017
- ⛅ 17 °C
- Altitude: 98 ft
- Australia New South Wales Sydney Archibald Fountain -33.87103, 151.2117833°52’16” S 151°12’42” E
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Day 81
Hello Sydney!
June 3, 2017 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
After a couple of quiet days in Waikiki, a long flight and a nimble skip over the international date line, I'm now back in Oz for the final phase of my trip.

Brr! After the fierce sun and humidity (but also very strong breeze) of Honolulu/Waikiki, autumnal Sydney is a bit of a shock to the system.

Pardon my language, but I'm staying in a complete shit-tip of a hostel. Only 2 nights (max - I'll see how I feel tomorrow and may cut my losses and move on). Such a contrast with HI Waikiki which was spotlessly clean.Read more
Sarah Berthelemy Ugh! What a shame,. :-( Glad you made it to Sydney OK though. Another long flight!!
6/4/17Reply
Traveler Long flight? Pish! Only 9hr40m, interesting how my perspective has changed! Slept ok, thanks to a tshirt, long sleeve tshirt, hoodie (hood up), paper stuck up at the window (sellotape: the unexpected travel essential). It is a quiet hostel, which is good. And it's in a great location ... think I'll survive one more night.
6/4/17Reply
Traveler I chose this hostel because I loved the architecture
6/4/17Reply
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Traveler Thick Black Line. An odyssey
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- May 31, 2017
- 🌧 25 °C
- Altitude: 66 ft
- United States Hawaii Hawaii County Waiākea Hilo International Airport 19.71471, -155.0395119°42’53” N 155°2’22” W
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Day 78
Back to Waikiki
May 31, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 25 °C
That's it ... my Hawai'i adventure is over. Rental car returned intact. And exhale...

My last Airbnb host gave me a bag of the juiciest lychees as I left - dee...lish!
Traveler Goodbye to Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea
6/1/17Reply
Traveler Have you ever seen such a juicy lychee? Beautiful
6/1/17Reply
Sarah Berthelemy That's a great shot
6/1/17Reply
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Traveler Thick Black Line. An odyssey
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- May 30, 2017
- ☀️ 14 °C
- Altitude: 9,190 ft
- United States Hawaii Hawaii County Pu‘ukalepeamoa 19.75915, -155.4558519°45’33” N 155°27’21” W
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Day 77
Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea
May 30, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
I had the most fitting final day on Big Island. There would have been something missing for me if I hadn't made it up to the 'saddle road' which runs E-W (or W-E ...) across the island on the saddle between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. In the past hire cars weren't allowed up there but the road is mostly upgraded, though driving can be iffy if the weather changes.

It was a beautiful clear morning so I took a picnic to the Mauna Kea Recreation Area which is about half way across. It fed my soul to finally see the tops of those 2 great volcanoes 😎

I hadn't planned to do this, but feeling inspired I did a little more research and decided to head up to the Mauna Kea Visitor Centre. It's a stop-off point at 3000m for anyone going to the observatories at the top, to help prevent altitude sickness - it's the change in altitude (most will be travelling from close to sea level) that causes the problem. I saw one person really struggling. To go further you have to have 4WD, specifically a vehicle that can do engine braking on the descent.

Well that's one of the best decisions I've ever made. It's lovely up there. I huffed and puffed to the top of a nearby cinder cone (the thin atmosphere, obviously) and got fantastic views over that part of the volcano, and not a soul was around. Very special in ways I don't really understand.

Then I stayed until dark for the star gazing run by the Uni of Hawaii 😊. The centre has facilities to buy and prepare noodle pots, cocoa, coffee. Plus hoodies, socks, hats and blankets to buy. That all makes sense when the temperature drops to 5C ... that compares to low 30s daytime, mid 20s night at the coast... ie. flippin' freezing! So now I have an extra hoodie.

They show a film while the sky is darkening, which doesn't shy away from the controversy about having the observatories at the summit. I hadn't heard this before. Mauna Kea is a sacred mountain for the native Hawaiians, not only a mountain, but an actual ancestor. I think some sort of framework is in place now to help reconcile the different perspectives.

Ace day.Read more
Traveler View from my private cinder cone 😎 The visitor centre is the single building at the right, the other buildings are accommodation for astronomers working at the observatories
5/31/17Reply
Traveler View the other way towards Mauna Loa in the distance. It can be very misty down to a 'tropical inversion cloud layer'. The mist swirled in and out - pretty but chilly
5/31/17Reply
Traveler I had the foresight to plan a little experiment with 2 empty water bottles. Sadly I didn't control all variables, like make of bottle, but I still like the results. The bottle on the right I filled with air (the skills I have!) at the recreation area, which is at about 2000m. The one on the left I filled with air at the MKVC at 3000m. When I got back to base, maybe at 50m, this was the difference. All fortnight my water bottles have been squashed and expanding as I explored - that's what prompted the experiment 😎
5/31/17Reply
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Traveler Thick Black Line. An odyssey
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- May 29, 2017
- ⛅ 27 °C
- Altitude: 279 ft
- United States Hawaii Hawaii County Onomea (historical)Alakahi Stream 19.80795, -155.0967319°48’29” N 155°5’48” W
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Day 76
Hawaiian Tropical Botanical Garden
May 29, 2017 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
This is a lovely place for a visit. It's only a couple of miles from where I'm staying, on the Old Mamalahoe Highway. Goodness knows how people coped when the road was part of the 'belt' road around the island: it twists around each valley foot/mouth (!...where it meets the sea ...) single track over some of the bridges, one is wooden! Lovely picturesque drive, but few places to pull over. And that was just getting there!
The gardens follow a valley down, with the Onomea Falls just round a corner, then open out a bit at the sea. Everywhere is densely planted which makes for mostly hopeless scenic pics - just can't capure the beauty the human eye sees. It was just lovely to wander. I have loads of pictures of different leaves/patterns. I will try to resist 😉 I feel a photo shop collage thingy coming on when I get home!Read more
Traveler Onomea Falls in the HTBG. I think 'ono' has a meaning like 'good', depending on context. And 'mea' is 'place'
5/29/17Reply
Traveler Sure is a good and beautiful place
5/29/17Reply
Traveler Out of focus but I don't care because the gecko is licking the heliconia!
5/29/17Reply
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