Day 10 – Airlie Beach to El Arish

Well – overnight it was rain indispersed with birds calling and the locals burning up and down the street. I must have slept well as I hardly noticed the two others in my room coming in and I missed large chunks of the story I was listening to (I listen to my iPod overnight at low volume to down out any other noises – it works!). At 6:20 the morning bird squad decided to wake everyone up – me included – so I rose, showered and dressed. By the time I had started breakfast, Lynn was down so she had breakfast. Before we packed ARTIE, I backed him out so doors could be opened without demolishing the two other parked cars. It was quicker to pack this way, so we were off not long before 8 – after getting our key deposits back, of course. Going through Airlie Beach was different, as now I was looking for the original beach shacks where they existed between new developments. We went through Prosperpine to see what it was like, then headed north. In Ayr I posted magazine entries to Kerry and postcards to Fran and Abby (yes, I know she can’t read, but her mum and dad will take care of that). On the way down we had passed a “Scenic Lookout” sign, so I went up that – it was Mt Inkerman and it was well worth it, with not only a great view but also a barbecue and picnic tables at the top. We went through Townsville as we had already looked around and I recognised the caravan park I stayed in while visiting cousins who were working there in 2012. The bypass will soon cut all of that suburban travel off. The sun which had been with us was still there as we went into Hungry Jacks for lunch. But that was the end of that – rain started to set in. At Cardwell we visited the Coral Sea memorial, but the drizzle meant we didn’t get out – another reason to return! Just out of Cardwell I recognised a walker by the roadside – we met up through Facebook. I turned around and then found a place to safely pull over to the roadside and then chatted with her. She is raising funds for Lifeline. With the rain, she had not been looking forward to camping and had rung a motel, fist in an alphabetical list, and they had offered to support her by accommodating her for the night. She was happy and I was, having finally met her. We went on, wanting to see about camping at Paronella Park (after the recommendations people we knew had given it). However the constant rain made me consider having backup plans and we saw a roadside motel – it had accommodation available at an affordable price, so that was the night’s stop. By coincidence, there was a couple from Werribee South staying here too. We met, but didn’t know each other. ARTIE was under cover so it was easy to unload and after a while it was tea. I had to stay outside because the WiFi signal was too poor inside to receive and send emails. I copied photos over, shrank some and sent some in emails and told everyone where we were – in my haste to leave in the morning, I had forgotten to switch Spotty on! The rain continued, but the forecast from the weekend on is looking better and better. The local radar isn’t showing any rain, but I can see and hear it. An early night tonight and I’m looking forward to Cairns early tomorrow afternoon – we go on a Daintree excursion on Sunday and ARTIE is having a service on Tuesday. I have to do some shopping (crocs for walking in gorges and rivers, even though I don’t like them; better tent pegs in case we strike high winds; a dress from an Op Shop so I can stand at the edge of Kings Canyon and emulate “Priscilla” – limited copies of photographs will be available, signed), but otherwise it’s off the road for a time and getting washing and other mundane things done.