Heading north and outback

We drove in to Townsville this morning and got to our caravan park by 10am, which was great as we had the whole day ahead. We unhitched the car, washed all the linen and hung it on the line, ate some lunch and chilled out for a while.

Early afternoon we headed out to explore, starting with Kissing Point Fort and Jezzine Barracks, a heritage listed fort built on a rocky outcrop that divides two bays in Townsville with the barracks at its side. It was built in 1891 as part of the coastal defense scheme to protect the colony of Queensland. The view from the fort over the bay out towards Magnetic Island is magnificent.

After this we continued along the Strand to see the rock pool, a salt water pool behind a rock wall that is continually refilled from the sea and is designed to keep swimmers safer from stingers. We were lucky to get a parking spot and we spread our towels on the shaded grass and took it in turns to swim in the pool (dogs not allowed in the pool area!).

Once we’d both swum, rinsed off and changed we continued down the Strand until we found a gelato shop to satisfy our sweet tooth craving. Then we drove around checking out places to eat for dinner, including the casino (however the parking was too far for us to feel comfortable leaving Cadbury in the car).

Then it was time to head up Castle Hill, a huge rock formation that dominates the Townsville skyline and is very dramatic as it is in the Centre of the city. We drove up the narrow, steep and winding road passing many hikers, bikers and runners. Apparently 2,500 locals walk up this monolith every day from before sunrise until well after sunset. Not many drive to the top, which is just as well as there aren’t that many car parks. There are a number of walks from the top, where you can walk and have different vantage points across the city or out to sea. Gadi walked them all and I walked around to find the best vantage to see the sun go down. And what a show we were treated to! The sun sank lower and lower into the mountains to the west, due to the mist covering the peaks, appearing to sink below the horizon. The sky appeared painted a vivid red and orange with a burning sun moving lower and lower. We waited until the sun was gone and the sky continued to be lit orange, pink and red.

We drove carefully down the mountain and went back to the caravan to feed Cadbury, shower and change for dinner. Then we headed into town to the Cowboys Leagues Club where we were really lucky to score a car park out the front. We ate steak and a Parma before driving around the city a little longer to check out the clubs scene before heading back to our little Home on wheels.

Night night from Townsville!Baca selengkapnya