Well after nine or so months and 35,0000km on the road we are grateful that everything is still running smoothly – well just anyway! Bertha is looking for greener pastures after the long slog on many roads, often with corrugations. Basically one side of the caravan structure has started to droop and bulge causing the inside dinette to distort and outside lights to pop off. We were lucky to reattach the awning before we had lost it out on the road somewhere. Nevertheless she is a tough old girl and with a little bit of TLC we are going to nurse her back home along the more hospitable east coast. On the human side, our personal gear is getting worn out (Chris has been through three pairs of thongs, t-shirts and shorts already) and our bodies are copping a beating as well. Exercise and stretching regimes are now well and truly entrenched in the daily agenda as we continue to feel the effects of living in confined spaces and sitting in the car for large time periods. But we are still loving every moment of it, and as Pink Floyd said “the show must go on”.

There has been little rain in North Queensland and the inland areas of the Gulf of Carpentaria are particularly dry. To get some relief from these hot conditions we sought refuge at Lawn Hill National Park, on the way up to Karumba. This is an oasis, with spring fed water and a lush greed gorge in the middle of nowhere. Daytime temperatures were quickly rising, but it was great to camp near a running stream, paddle a canoe and sit amongst mini waterfalls in a beautiful and ancient part of the Australia. We even visited a fossilised dinosaur site in the area that had only recently been excavated.

Once out the National Park it was back into the dry and more long driving to get us up to the seaside town of Karumba. It was good to see ocean again, although this was not a place to swim with big tides and even bigger crocodiles. Most people come here to chase Barramundi but this year the fishing has been a bit quiet due to the lack of rain. We stayed in a caravan park for four nights right on the beach and watched the most beautiful sunsets. Being flat we rode the bikes around, enjoyed the outdoor watering holes, and got a bit of fishing as well. The whole family even got out on a local fishing charter one day and brought in enough blue-nose salmon to keep the fridges full.

Continuing along the Savannah Way we stopped overnight at small towns like Croydon, Georgetown and Mt Molloy before arriving in the Cooktown area. We had never traveled above Cairns before and were looking forward to discovering some new territory. One thing we noticed straight away was the mountainous terrain and lushness that we had not experienced all trip. The climate was perfect for travelling with mild nights and warm days. We stayed for a few nights in Cooktown meeting up with the Stenhouse family and visited many of the local tourist sites. Waterfalls and deserted beaches were on the agenda along with a strenuous hike up to Mt Cook. We also visited a very interesting museum in town and were entertained one night by the local indigenous dancing troupe performing in the town centre. It felt good to be out of the dust and red dirt, with swimming, tropical weather and good travelling buddies back on the agenda.

We said goodbye to the Stenhouse family and headed up to Lakefield National Park, which will be most northern place we will visit on the east coast. We stayed a couple of nights at Laura, visiting an aboriginal art site as well as doing some nice walks in the National Park. We then hurried back to Cooktown as a three-day break in the strong south-easterly winds had abated. We organised a local guy to take us out on his boat to the secluded East Hope Island, only 11 nautical miles offshore. We took the swags, snorkeling and fishing gear, as well as food and water to this tropical oasis (the size of a football field). Well for 2 out of the three days we had the island to ourselves (a couple of yachts had visited on the first day). There was heaps of shade, no insects and plenty of good fishing and snorkeling done. It is these ‘off the cuff’ side trips that have really enriched our big trip around Australia, and shown us places that only a small proportion of the population get to experience. Queensland was never going to be a priority on this trip, but already we were entranced by its natural beauty and its unique characters – and this was just the beginning.