Bloomfield track, lions den, Cooktown, nonsense about a man in the bushes.

Right, so I was without internet for a few days. Here is what I wrote. 


Daintree
Last night the rainforest came alive at about 10pm. I could hear something creeping around outside my tent trying to pinch my rubbish. I tried to burst forth from my tent and catch it but it was too fast. I think it was a goanna. I went for a wander to see if I could track down the other sources of noise but as soon as the tent opens you hear animals scatter and all is quiet again.

This morning while I was packing up the National Parks lady came to take my rubbish away, which is nice because otherwise I'd have to tie it onto the bike somewhere.

I stopped in at the shop in Cape Tribulation and while I was there a guy on a BMW gs650 pulled in. His bike looked so cool. He said he got it for $1500 and it has 104,000 km on the clock.

I left him there and headed off onto the Bloomfield track. It was awesome! My first 4wd only track. 4 or 5 water crossings. Really really steep climbs. The steepest was a 31% grade! Riding along dried up creek beds. It wasn't all that difficult but it was really cool.

I had my helmet camera going but when I pulled up it was off. Flat. I bought it for its 6 hour battery life and it ran out after the Port Douglas ride. I don't know if it captured anything at all. I switched it on right before the first water crossing so hopefully it at least got that.

I was really nervous crossing the first creek. It wasn't that deep but the surface was large river stones. I ummed and ahhed about taking the expensive gear off my bike but that would be literally setting myself up for failure so I just did it. It was fine. Made it across easily. Some of the muddy sections were trickier. Standing up made it easier.

Don't know why I was nervous looking at it now. 

I also finally saw a cassowary. Cars were stopped ahead of me and I thought they were spacing themselves for the big hill, but there was a cassowary lumbering into the bush. It was gone before I could get my camera out. They are dinosaurs.

I stopped at a creek for a look and dunked my head in the creek. The guy from the shop earlier pulled up as I was leaving and I tried to ride with him for a while but he lost me. Too fast. Later 2 guys on dr650s, which are similar to my bike but lighter and faster, went flying past.

After the dirt, there was a fairly nice bitumen ride alongside the river. There was a massive crocodile on the far bank at one section but there was nowhere to stop. I went through Rossville and kept going until I got to the legendary Lions Den Hotel. I don't know why it is legendary but everyone says it is. That's where I'm camped for tonight.

The bar at the Lions den. The walls are covered with messages. The oldest I could find was from 1979 although I didn't look very hard. 

I set up down in this really nice grassy spot close to the creek. Only me down there. It was the dream. I went for a swim in the creek then set my solar panel out and cooked some pasta. As I was finishing 3 caravans pulled up, 15 numpties in matching tour shirts got out. They stood around my solar panel, audibly wondering whose it could be, like I was invisible. Obviously it is mine you idiots.

I got up to get it out of their way and told them their matching shirts were "beautiful". They said "yeah it's a bit of fun" so I think they could detect my sarcasm.

Then I went to get some water and some other campers laughed at me and said I should start walking around naked and revving the bike. These people have set up right on top of me. Only one of them has acknowledged me. The others do the old look off into the distance when they see me. It is really weird. I think we are enemies now.

Lion's Den
It is now the next night from what I wrote above. Last night I met some locals at the pub. They were really nice. Way friendlier than the other campers. One of them has been travelling for a long long time and has just bought a house down the road. The first permanent place she's lived for over a decade. She works as a writer writing travel articles and children's books. Did not expect that. I picked her as maybe an amateur tent boxer.

The others were a couple. He had been an unqualified teacher in one of the aboriginal communities and his wife had been his teacher"s aide. He told me some stories about the kids he taught. He said he ended up quitting the day he had to cut one of his students from a tree that had hung herself. She was the 7th student to kill herself. He highly recommended I work in a community. I shall take that under advisement...

Last night it rained and the annoying neighbours were up at 4am making a rakcet because their monstrous camper trailers leaked and half blew down. Not a drop in my tent. It did look a little worse for wear in the morning from the wind, but that's because I'm using minimum pegs.

They were up again at 6. The women gathered around and shouted at each other about their flaps.
"Were your flaps flapping, my flaps were flapping about all over the place. Nearly flapped into my face. I was so scared they'd flap right off!"

They were genuinely shouting an approximation of that. If they just kept their flaps and their traps shut everyone would be a lot happier. Thank God they buggered off at about 8.

Today it rained. I had a tent day. Watched a movie (Glass) and finished my book. I took my headphones off to hear that some new neighbours had moved in. One of their kids, who sounds like a teenager and possibly with autism or something similar, really didn't want to go have a shower. His mother and father slowly escalated the threats. Word is they're done with him. He can either have a shower or they're calling the police. Either way he's finding his own way home.

He didn't have a shower though. Later I heard him tell another of the adults that his family doesn't love him anymore. She said of course everyone in his family loves him. I think that was probably a lie. I think it might be possible that his family actually never loved him. Later still I heard him moaning and carrying on. He sounded like a cow. I'd feel sorry for him, but he didn't have a shower!  So he bloody won and the police didn't show up so now he knows it is a bluff. I took me keys out of the motorbike just in case he does something stupid. Not that he could go far because his unloving family have camped me in.

The last 4 days I've had really bad kidney pain. The friendly neighbours, who laugh at me when I have shit neighbours, told me it's from the bouncing on the motorbike. That's a real relief because I was worrying it was an infection and that I'd have to go on dialysis for the rest of my life. So tomorrow I'm going to try to find a kidney belt. It apparently is a belt that holds your kidneys in place, not one where you store them for safe keeping. I've been using bum bags wrong all these years! I probably should cancel my Amazon order for a fanny pack too.

Lion's Den to Cooktown
This morning I was woken up at about 3am by a different kid from that family screaming. The mother was telling the kid to shut up or he/she'd have to go sleep in the creek. I don't know why they make these over the top threats.

I packed up and was pretty glad to leave. It is school holidays here so I imagine it will be a progression of parents screaming at kids who just want to stay home and play playstation.

It is very, very windy here in Cooktown. Utterly miserable. It concerns me slightly that I hate the wind as much as my autistic students did.

Cooktown, but now it's night. Before it was morning. This is a long heading and it is only getting longer.
I went out to stay at a bush camp but it was too expensive. I told the owner that and she said she could do it for half price if I was willing to share a site. She told me to wait for her at the camp kitchen while she showed some grey nomads around on the 4 wheeler. I didn't see her again. Waited for about 25 minutes and took off. It was a really nice camp. Absolutely massive amongst the trees. But quite frankly the internet coverage was sketchy.

I came back into Cooktown and am at a caravan park. I'm here for 2 nights and am going to charge batteries and buy some stuff for my trip to the tip. I need to find a kidney belt, epirb, and spare tube for my tyres. I reckon I can get the epirb. Doubtful about the other things. Cooktown is really small and doesn't have much.

I came back to my tent just before and a lady came up to tell me that the owners are moving people from this end of the park because some bloke was standing in the bushes for about half an hour watching some campers. The lady that told me is camped right next to the bushes and she is staying. I'm definitely staying. No way I'm packing my shit up for a move. I told the lady I probably shouldn't leave my axe outside tonight and she thought I was joking until I picked it up.

The people that moved were the people that could do so easily - people in vans - who are also the people that are most secure. I think they just like the drama of it. Nothing wrong with standing in bushes anyway. I'll probably go stand in some later. If I take my fishing rod I'll probably make friends, although I still don't have any hooks.

To be honest I can't really see the difference between Rex Hunt kissing fish and throwing them back, and me standing in a bush with a fishing rod and no hooks. We both end up spending ages acquiring zero fish. It's is now obvious to me that this bloke was having a fish but didn't waste his money on a rod or reel. Smart.

I had a look at the phone coverage for the next bit of the trip and this is it.

So don't expect many updates for a while.

Kudos to you if you read all this. I just tried to read it and ended up skipping ahead.

Daintree centre

It rained this morning for quite a while. Not heavy but fairly constant. I think it will probably do the same tomorrow morning. I stayed in bed and watched videos of the Bloomfield track.

When the rain stopped at about midday I rode up to the Daintree Rainforest centre. It is a board walk like all rainforest centres. I really would love to say it was great, but it was pretty boring. It cost $35 too. I'm not doing anything else that costs $35.

They had an example of the Idiot Fruit tree, which is a living fossil of an early flowering plant. It is called an idiot fruit because either you're an idiot to eat it, or because you turn into an idiot after you eat it. It is highly toxic. Even cassowaries won't eat them, which means they have no way to disperse their seeds so they grow in clumps in the forest. When it was rediscovered in 1971 it was regarded by botanists as the greatest find in Australia. I'd say the Wollombi Pine has probably usurped it now.

Here it is, the tree that so excited botanists. If they get excited over this imagine how they'd be if you showed them literally any animal.

A lizard on a branch. 

This tree probably had a 4 minute description on the audio guide. Zzzzz

The only other thing I even really remember is that there was a plant called a Vicious Hairy Mary, and that the description of the electric fern said "despite its name the electric fern isn't actually a fern". What, so it IS electric?

After I left the $35 centre I rode about a km along the same road and came to a free national park board walk that was longer and better.

I went for a wander and stopped off for some ice cream. There are heaps of places selling home made ice-cream for some reason. I know you aren't meant to take anything organic from the rainforest so I shall remember to leave my plastic organic ice-cream tub behind when I leave.

Tomorrow I'm going to go on the Bloomfield track. It is supposed to be steep and dirt which I hope doesn't turn to mud in the rain. There is also a creek crossing. I'm looking forward to it but am slightly nervous.

The rainforest

It was quite an ordinary night last night. It got cold enough that I needed my sleeping bag so I slept in it wet. When I woke up this morning for the final time it was overcast outside and looked like rain. I laid out my wet stuff to dry anyway. Everyone knew it hadn't rained, yet I was drying my stuff. They must've thought I'd pissed myself.
Nothing dried so I packed it up damp.

I'm camped at Noah's Beach, before you get to Cape Tribulation. The ride here was short in distance but long in time. Took a couple of hours or more to go about 50km. The main reason was the ferry across the Daintree River, which was very busy.

The ride through the rainforest was twisty and slow but very nice. Outwardly it appears like any other rainforest, such as Dorrigo, near home. The difference is that this one is older than all the others, has an incredible diversity and primitive species that have remained largely unchanged.

I've only really noticed the diversity of insects. I've got the 80% deet Bushman's on. I even rubbed it in my hair. When I got here it was extremely humid but isn't so much now. I'm trying to get my stuff dry before it gets dark. It is overcast though and not much sun could get through the trees anyway. I really feel like I'm camped in a rainforest.

I went for a ride into Cape Tribulation to get food. I was expecting a small village but I couldn't really distinguish it from anywhere else along the road. There was a general store and a Cafe. I bought cold food because I don't think I'd be able to start a fire to cook. Everything seems fairly damp and rainforesty.

This afternoon I went for a walk down the beach. Kelly, who I stayed with in Cairns, told me I should do geocaching while I'm on my trip. For those that don't know (mum, as always) geocaching is a nerd game where people hide little stashes out in the world and mark their location on an app. Other people go searching for them. When you find them you write your name in the log book and can leave something. It's basically pokemon go without the poke on (google it, Kerrie).

There was a geocache down the end of the beach. I found it. I had to climb the rocks and go through the bush. There is a creek down there so I had to keep and eye out for crocs. The box had the logbook, some drawing, a pen and some little cheap souvenir things. I think the value of geocaching might be that it gets you to go places you otherwise probably wouldn't go. For instance, there is actually one under Kinchela bridge somewhere.

Tonight I might go see if I can find some wildlife.

This is where I'm camped. All the gravel is my site which goes past that tree. I don't want to sleep on gravel so I'm actually camped behind my site on the leaf litter. 

I saw this group this morning and thought it was some school kids with a guide, but they're actually fully grown adult humans. I don't know why they are so small or why they are dressed for Siberia. It was 25 degrees this morning. 

Daintree

Didn't do much today. Slept in, went to Wonga to get petrol, then to the ferry crossing, where another croc tour departs.

On the way to get petrol I nearly collided with a hawk/eagle/kite. It was in he middle of the road and took off to the left. It was flying a few metres in front of me but heading away from the road when it did what I think was an evasive manoeuvre where it quickly flicked to the right, back into my path, then to the left again. It did it so quickly that I didn't have time to react. It was really cool and it worked because I didn't hit it. Wish I had my camera going.

I went to the croc tour. It is the same company...

I just discovered that my camelbak that I filled has been leaking through my tent. It emptied 2L into the tent. Thankfully the tent slopes slightly and all my stuff is away from where the water pooled. My sleeping bag is soaked and my mattress is a waterbed now, although only on the bottom.

Anyway I went and did the second half of the crocodile tour and saw more crocs, including the alpha of the river.

I think this one was the big one. He was significantly bigger than the others. Pity he didn't turn side on. They estimate he is 70+ years old and he has no teeth, so he just crushes his food in his gums. 

A cormorant I assume. 

Can't remember what this bird was, but the guide was excited by it. It looks like a tree penguin. 

Frogmouth owls. 

After the boat ride I went for a motorcycle ride along a dirt road towards the start of the Creb track. It is closed at the moment but it is a track that takes an alternative path into the rainforest. The ride was really nice through the valley.

This evening I went to get supplies from the general store but they have a worse selection than what I already have. I guess selling proper food would affect their pub meal sales.

I talked to the neighbours and they gave me a list of places to visit and things to do which I put on the map. Some of them sounded cool but most of the things were just weird. Strange little towns with weird attractions that don't sound interesting at all. At least three open cut mines. A gravesite of an Afghan man that was buried with a camel. A replica village of the actual village the town is in (I think it is a Timbertown type situation).

Anyway, now I'm here laying in a puddle of water.

Cairns to Daintree Village

I moved on from the Frosts today. They were great hosts and I enjoyed meeting them. We got along like a house on fire, which theirs probably is with the luck they had this morning. The washing machine broke, car wouldn't start and a pipe burst.

I rode up the coast to Daintree Village. It is village is the true sense of the word. If you say you live in a village because it only has about 5000 people then it isn't a village. This place has this camp, a pub/general store across the road and a crocodile tour company. There are houses dotted around up in the forest.

The ride up between Cairns and Port Douglas was phenomenal. Right along the coast and through the rainforests. I recorded it.

What I'm going to share isn't going to be that good. The best I can do is 720p. I had to drop the sound because of wind noise, which really sucks because the big thumper would've given the video a sense of speed that both the video and reality lacked. I also just included a fairly random 5 minutes from the 40 minute video.

Also, I can't upload it to the blog directly, so it is on YouTube, so it might get blocked because I added music in place of the wind noise.

After setting up here I went for an afternoon croc cruise. We saw three, plus a bunch of birds and a water dragon.

I'm not even going to bother uploading the rest of the birds. Unless it's a cassowary who really cares.

I went over to the pub this afternoon for dinner and then spent ages searching for my card reader so I could transfer the various files to my phone. Didn't even get around to getting the drone videos. They aren't that good. There is a crocodile that lives on the other side of the river from the camp so I'll try to buzz her tomorrow.


I'm here tonight and tomorrow night, then I'm going to camp at Noah's Beach for 2 nights. It is a national park camp so it's virtually free. Then I'll try my luck on my first bit of extended off road along the Bloomfield Track. I've talked to a few people who say it is in good condition and there is only one water crossing that isn't too deep. Should be fun!

Kewarra Beach

Went to Half Moon Bay with Mick and Kel this morning. Flew the drone, looking for crocs. Didn't see any. Went for a ride up the mountain to Kuranda afterwards. It is a hippy town. Looked at Barron Falls, which was barely flowing. Then cooked my meat tray for dinner and watched the state of origin. Nsw won. Kel put her nsw short over the neighbours letterbox for them in the morning.

Now I'm going to sleep. So tired. Daintree tomorrow!

Cairns

Today I went down to the soccer fields and chased some wallabies with the drone. I gave some of the kids a chance to fly it. They lost interest very quickly.

I had an awkward moment when the kids noticed a horse was doing a poo. I looked over and realised it was a male horse just chilling, maybe showing off a bit, not pooing. The kids kept watching and I heard them start saying "it's not snapping off". I walked quicker to no avail and they soon realised that it wasn't a poo coming out of the middle of the horse. They whispered and giggled. Then the birthday girl  Jess, started saying "Ben, that horse has..."

I switched to teacher mode and said "Don't you mention that horse, I don't want to know, I don't care and it isn't appropriate". It had a massive willy though and it definitely didn't snap off.

Later we went to the beach for the birthday party. I helped Mick cook the snags. There were about 20 kids and some of their parents. One of the parents came over and told us that the other parents thought that Mick and I were an ex gay couple. I think I was the step father of one of the children in this scenario.

Mick was horrified. I thought it was hilarious. Mick started blowing up about it so I touched his arm tenderly and said "Darling, don't be like that". I'm leaving in a day or two but he's here forever. Mick is the blokiest bloke but after we were pronounced gay I noticed he had anchors all over his shorts so I reckon it is his fault.

After that we came back to the house and the kids went back to pat the horses. They're about a block away. When they came back they were one child short so we all ran out to find the missing kid. She turned up down near the paddock.

Now it is bed time.

Bingil bay to Cairns

I stayed the night at Bingil Bay then made the ride to Cairns.

It was a good fun ride. I swerved to the music for a couple of hundred km. The traffic in Cairns is horrendous. The road is new so someone has massively screwed up the design. So many roundabout on the highway!

I'm staying with my cousin Vanessa's friends. They have just moved into a new house. It is amazing but unlike any house I've been in before. It doesn't have a front door, just a gate, which opens to a pool area with the house kind of attached the that. I really like it. I have parked my bike next to the pool so it's sort of in the house, which I find really cool.

Kel and Mick have been really nice. I feel like I've known them forever. I have a arrived for birthday week. It is one of the children's birthday tomorrow (I didn't know this, so I've got an excuse for not having a present) and it is Kel and another of her kids birthday on Tuesday, so they're having a party tomorrow. I'm going to provide drone services.

Speaking of birthdays, the biggest and best news is that my sister Shannon had a baby girl yesterday. She weighs something like 4.4kg and I think she's 55cm. I don't really know why the length and weight is important unless you're going to book her into the co-op, but that length and weight seems to be fine with everyone else so it's fine with me. Her name is Eve which is an outstanding name that matches her sister, Lily, perfectly. Lily and Eve, at it again. I hope they'll be as thick as thieves. I'm disappointed that it will be a little while before I meet Eve.

That is Sally, not me. 

Balgal Beach to Longpocket to Wallaman Falls to Bingil Bay.

This photo is supposed to go down below but it refuses to, so here it is, at the start. It is of some kookaburra looking bird on the pole but I inadvertently captured the moonrise in the background. 

I was out of service yesterday so here is what I wrote yesterday.


Last night I met a couple who were camped next to me. They were setting up late so I gave them some of the enormous amount of wood I was hoarding. The guy was an Italian that lives in Mission Beach and his girlfriend was an international student from East Timor. I didn't expect that.

She told me Timor means East in her language so her country is called East East to her. I pointed out that I thought it was actually called Timor Leste so really the name of the country is East East with the East's reversed. She seemed confused. I sat up pretty late with them.

They had basically no gear. No chairs, no cooker. It made me think I should probably consider getting rid of some of my stuff. I've been giving the stink eye to the frying pan.

I slept in today, packed up slowly and headed a little bit north. I'm camped at the Ashton Hotel in a town called Longpocket . It is near Wallaman Falls, although not as close as I thought.

When I arrived a man in a caravan came over to make a nuisance of himself. He told me it was very dewy this morning and he has a tarp for me that will cover the tent and the bike and save me from the dew. He was trying to be helpful but I told him I wasn't really bothered. Completely oblivious to my hint, he went and got the tarp for me anyway. I had to get up and stuff around with it. Everyone seems to think the waterproofing of a tent is directly linked to its size. My tent hasn't leaked a drop so far.

The tarp doesn't fit over the tent, nor does it completely cover the bike. It is about the same size as my own tarp that is in my bag. It looks completely ridiculous. I'm protecting a bike that I have ridden through streams and in downpours, from a low lying cloud that might develop in the morning.

Anyway, I'm probably going to pack up and head up to the waterfall tomorrow morning then head north again.
Here are some photos.

Sunrise at Balgal Beach

Today, meaning the day after what I wrote above, I woke up and lo and behold there was an almighty dew. My tent was soaked and I do so wish I had a tarp over it. But alas I did not so I packed it up wet and now it smells a bit.

I rode up to Wallaman Falls. It was 50km at least. There was 40km of very steep twisty hills. I had all my luggage on but the bike performed admirably. I seem to have balanced the weight.

The waterfall is the tallest in Australia at 268 metres. It was quite a sight. BUT! To all the old people who constantly say they don't understand why young people go overseas when there is much to see here (and there are many of you and you are tedious, boring and small minded)... That waterfall is less than half the height of the 36th tallest waterfall in the world. So I don't really know why people who like to look at waterfalls don't go overseas. 

Not taking anything away from it, it was cool.

After the waterfall I rode back down the hill. It was later in the morning and there was a bit more traffic coming up. One guy was towing a camper trailer up (something you aren't supposed to do because the road is too steep, narrow and windy) and he cut the corner I was about to go around, totally blocking off any path I had so I had to go heavy on the brakes. I was expecting people to be on the wrong side of the road on every corner so it wasn't a big deal. It's great being on a bike because the drivers can hear you swearing at them and I reckon he would've agreed with what I called him.

It was a really nice day today so I headed up the coast. I stopped for lunch at Cardwell then continued on. I probably should've got petrol. My bike doesn't have a fuel gauge so I use the trip metre. 

I hit reserve along the highway after 285km since my previous fill up. Usually I hit reserve around 360km. My highest was 416km. So 285 is really low, but it has been windy and I went up and down that big hill with luggage on so it wasn't that low. I switched to reserve which is supposed to be good for another 60-100km. I made it 11km more before I ran out. I rolled into a town but couldn't roll the last 100 metres to the petrol station. 

I did the walk of shame, got a petrol can etc etc. The bike took 17 litres to fill. It is a 22 litre tank. So I'm running out of petrol with petrol in the tank. Will have to get that sorted. 

I'm now at Bingil Bay. I went for a ride into Mission Beach. The ride is amazing. Right along the water.

I'm camped towards the right of this photo. 

From out the front of the camp. 

The camp ground here is cheap for vans ($29 a night) and therefore very popular and therefore full. I was worried I'd be charged van rates but because they're full and I take up no space they've squeezed me in for free.

The only other thing of note is that there are supposedly cassowaries everywhere here. I'm terrified of meeting one. The signs say to stay in your vehicle if one is on the road. Not much help for me. For those that are unfamiliar, cassowaries are basically dinosaurs. They are a flightless bird that grow up to 6 and a half feet tall, have a blue head, and have a 5 inch knife for a toe. They are very aggressive.

We went on a school excursion to the zoo and one of my students had a prolonged meltdown. I took him for a walk and as we went past the cassowary enclosure this cassowary paced along side trying to get through the fence to attack the student. It was my height.

Having said that, the signs look like this:

I find them really funny for some reason. 

Also, I've started seeing crocodile warning signs everywhere. Including about 10 metres from my tent! 

Balgal beach

I spent yesterday bumming around at Balgal Beach. As the sun went down a heap of old locals came down and had a full moon party on the beach. They lit a fire and sat around having drinks. The moon came up over Magnetic Island and was really impressive. 

Can you tell I've been at this photo with snapseed? 

Girl on a horse that came riding through. 

Today I woke up and went for a swim. The water was still a bit murky even at high tide. Still very nice though. I set my solar panel out with a battery to charge while I had breakfast. It was not even 10 metres from my tent. When I went to check on it, it was gone. A couple of German guys had just packed up and left so I assumed they saw it there and thought they'd have it.

I decided to see if I could catch up to them. I was hoping they'd stop at the servo on the highway for petrol. It was a pretty long shot and when I arrived the lady behind the counter said they hadn't had two German blokes come through that morning.

I went for a quick ride around Balgal and couldn't find them so I went back to camp before everything else got stolen. Not long after the dude that seems to live here came back from somewhere. I went up to ask if he saw the Germans take a solar panel. Turns out he had seen them leave, thought they'd forgot their solar panel, grabbed it and took off after them. This seemed plausible to me but then he said he was just about to make some signs to put up. What a load of bollocks. I reckon he thought the Germans left the solar panel and he thought he'd have it. 

After that delay I went for a short ride to a place where map.me says there are waterfalls and google maps says there is nothing. I got to where the road ends and came across this sign:

It says "Don't do it, Ben. You aren't cut out for this". 

It was actually a fairly easy km and a half walk. The track goes on for another 33km which I think I probably shouldn't do. Not far along I almost trod on what I thought was a lizard. As it slithered away I realised it was a little brown snake, about 2 ft long. That could've been the end of me. 

The walk was through a nice rainforest and it wasn't a maintained path like the popular walks. At the end I came across a small waterfall and a swimming hole at the bottom. Two girls were already there. I asked how they knew it was there and they said instagram. I'll have to keep that in mind because google didn't show it at all. 

I went for a swim then went back to a clearing to launch the drone and flew it back to the waterfall. Unfortunately I'm on data and can't upload the video. 

Now I'm back a Balgal Beach, about to light the fire. 

Townsville to Balgal Beach

Packed up this morning. It was still an agonising process. Don't think I'll worry about balancing the bike anymore because it never works anyway. Made the short ride to Balgal Beach. It is the first true free camp of the trip.

It is a sandy spot amongst some trees a few metres from the beach. I managed to squeeze the bike through to the camp from the carpark and have set up in the less shady but more grassy area. There are a couple of backpackers in a tent and a couple in a van. Over the back next to the toilet there is a man and his wife and a couple of dogs. They appear to live here.

View from my chair. Tide is out at the moment. Should be glorious tomorrow morning. 

Not much else to report. So far this is the best place I've stayed. Also the the free-est. Strange coincidence.

Magnetic Island.

Got up early and went for a ride up Castle Hill. The road was rammed with walkers. It seems it is the thing to do. I nearly took out a cyclist who would've been coming down the hill at about 70km/h on the wrong side of the road on a blind corner. He shook his head at me like it was my fault. I've been a cyclist so I don't have anything against them but if they're wearing Lycra odds are they're tossers. It's good they found a uniform so the rest of us can identify them.

After that I went to catch the ferry over to Magnetic Island. I'm just going to list what I did then post a bunch of pictures.

1. Went for a swim at Picnic bay
2. Did the forts walk.
3. Went for a swim at Horseshoe Bay.
4. Tried to fly the drone up to the forts when I realised I hadn't actually taken a photo of the dull, boring concrete buildings (didn't make it, too windy)
5. Rode to West Point along a dirt track.

Magnetic Island is incredibly pretty.

The jetty at Picnic Bay with Townsville in the background. 

High tide at Picnic Bay

Cool strangler

Koala with a baby on the Fort Walk. 

Katherine Bay (I think). 

Looking up at part of the Fort. 

Katherine Bay again, this time from the Fort. 

I guess I should explain that there are the remnants of a WWII fort on the island. I don't know that the fort ever fired a shot in anger. There are a bunch of concrete slabs and two small concrete buildings remaining. I'm going to sound like a snob but after some of the WWII fortresses and bunkers I've visited this was not so impressive. The views were great though. Don't even get me started on the lack of a castle up Castle Hill.

The drone flight was a bit of a failure. Here is a short rather boring clip.

Echidna I saw on the dirt road to West Point.

Beach at West Point. Hire vehicles aren't allowed out here so it was really quiet and empty. 

Ferry back to Townsville. 

All in all it was a pretty good day. I wish I recorded the ride to West Point. I'm getting much better on dirt and sand. I even overtook a couple of other bikes. One was a push bike and the other was a 50cc scooter carrying 2 people.

Moving on tomorrow.

Day 3 in Townsville

I'm doing very little today in Townsville. Just washing clothes. If I do anything I'll either walk down the strand or ride up Castle Hill. It is the hill you can see in the pictures from Mount Stuart in yesterday's post. It is supposed to be a great walk but there is a road so I might take a great ride instead. It should be a good spot to fly the drone if it is allowed. It wasn't allowed on Mount Stuart, probably because of the army base below.

Tomorrow I'm up early to head across to Magnetic Island for the day. It should be fun. Then the next day I think I'll move on. I might head back to Alligator Creek which isn't far out of Townsville. It seems like a good, cheap ($6) camp and there is a waterfall that is a 13km round trip hike but supposed to be well worth it.

Day 2 in Townsville

Last night I cooked an enormous feed. It's weird because I didn't know that I could cook. I think it's because I'm expecting failure. It was skewers, mushrooms, baby spinach and a ton of potato, sweet potato and corn so not exactly complicated. Usually I can cook stuff if it is only 2 things. But this was 3 things in a pot, 2 things in a pan (mushrooms and spinach, hard to mess that up) and 1 thing in a grill. So maybe my cooking skills are pattern based. I took a photo because I was so proud.

After that I had to Skype with the doctor. She reckons I'm under-methylated. Symptoms include perfectionism, high accomplishment and compulsive planning (for real!). So it will be good to be finally cured of that.

Today I checked out of the hotel, loaded up all my stuff on the bike and set off for the hostel. 400 metres later I arrived and stored my luggage for the day as I couldn't check in yet. Then I went to Kmart to buy a couple of extra bags. One for the camera and a camelbak knock off for water.

When I was leaving the carpark I followed the exit signs and they led me around the building and back to the start. Then I looked at the other side of the carpark and they pointed the opposite direction so I followed them and they led me back to the start as well. I pulled up next to a trolleyboy and asked him how I get out of the carpark and he just said "OK". Eventually I went the opposite of the exit arrows and made it out after almost hitting some people on a pedestrian crossing.

Next I went up Mount Stuart. It was a really windy, steep, fun ride up. The mountain overlooks Townsville and the army base is just below it. I could hear the guns from the gun range below, which I later found out was from a course being run by Sam Clarke, who I know from Kempsey. From the top you can see all of Townsville and Magnetic Island in the distance. On the other side is Ross Lake, where I assume the mosquitoes that give you Ross River fever begin their life cycle.

After I went back down I wanted to get a photo of Mount Stuart so I found a nice little park where I could take a photo and fill up my newly acquired camelbak. When it is hot I often pull my riding trousers down as they are too cumbersome to take off without taking the boots off. It is easier to just hang them around my ankles. My legs get super hot and sweaty and the trouser stink.

When a bell rang between me and Mount Stuart, I realised that I had been standing with my pants around my ankles and a camera outside a primary school.

I went back to check into the hostel. They had just collected a bunch of people from the airport so it took ages and even longer to get a key to the luggage room.

By the time that was done Sam, who I mentioned earlier, arrived to collect me. I went out the front to meet him and instead found 4 ice heads who wanted me to call a taxi for them. I realised after a bit one was Sam, who'd been waylaid by these 3 iceheads as well. We tried to call them a taxi but it just rang out. They caused a bit of a ruckus and the hostel staff came out. I think they thought these junkies were with me.

Sam took me to a fishing shop and I bought a rod and reel. So I'm going to go fishing I guess. In fairness I am going to some of the best fishing spots in the country so I probably should go fishing. Plus I can eat them.

From now on I'm not buying ANYTHING ELSE.