Memory Lane

bbq frog


Well I had a great roadtrip to Tully. As usual we got distracted before we were very far from nambour... Our first stop (after breakfast) was Sexie Coffee which is just after Maryborough. Coffee being very important for long drives. Then we saw the sign for Bundaberg, and it seemed a fairly reasonable detour, so we turned off to explore Bundy. It may seem unforgivable to some people but we did not go to the Bundy Rum Factory. However we did go to Schmeider's Cooperage where they make barrels and we bought a little 4L port barrel to improve port in. It is beautiful and smells delicous.

port barrel

We then went to the Ginger Beer factory in Bundaberg and tasted the different flavour soft drinks they had. It really was a bit early in the morning for rum.

After this we drove on passing fields upon fields of sugar cane until we got to Mackay. Our plan there was to spend some time with Floss, Jimmy and Isaac, unfortunately they were unwell, and we weren't keen to become unwell. So we went to a hotel that night. In mackay there were heaps of red tailed black cockatoos and here I rediscovered a little weed that grows in the grass that I loved as a child. It is this little weed that when you touch it the leaves all close up. I think it's called something like "sensitive leaf weed" but I don't know. We knew we were getting to the tropics when there were coconuts everywhere. But even more exciting outside our hotel that night there were like 10 little green frogs. I think Matt thought I was mad when I picked them up and I had about 4 on me and they were jumping all over my hair.... So that was mackay.

sick Jimmy

fields of diabetes

red tailed black cockatoos

mackay seaside

Seeing as our Mackay plans had fallen through, we decided we had time to catch up with some of my friends from Townsville. On the way to Townsville we got distracted and drove to Airlie Beach (the mainland opposite the whitsundays). Here we walked along the beach, and had lunch in a nice little cafe. Here I showed Matt what real green ants look like and their nests in the trees. I felt like I was getting closer and closer to home:)

a world of poison

airlie beach harbour

I got distracted by Bowen, because my Pop used to live there, so we drove in and had a look. Took a few snaps of the pier that Baz Luhrman is using for his new film that Nicole Kidman is in. The whole area was all taped off and they have a little city full of caravans.


a bowen mango

where are the stars?

Eventually we drove on to Townsville where we stayed with my old neighbours, who practically helped raise me when I was little. They live on a little lake there now and we had a BBQ, caught up on old times and drank their moonshine (whisky and something akin to baileys). It was lovely. The next day I caught up with one of my old school friends from Townsville and her cute little boy while we ate breakfast, and then we drove on for Tully.

The Love Shack (in all fairness this wasn't taken in Townsville)

On the way to Tully we got distracted at Ingham and we popped out and walked around the town, there was a very pretty moth there.


Finally we made it to Tully for lunch time, a few days after leaving Nambour. There we made our way to my uncle's house. It was fantastic! He lives on the ridge and has a beautiful outlook with mountains and sugar cane fields everywhere you look. When he bought the place it was all cleared land. However he has done a lot of revegetation and has in his time there literally planted little forests on his 10 acres. Matt and I even helped plant a few trees to contribute to the environment. Apart from that he has grown an entire fruit grove full of fruits, many of which I had never tasted before that time. Luckily the durian wasn't in season!However he had lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit, a pepper vine (he dries and packs his own pepper), mangosteen, passionfruit, durian, jack-fruit, miracle fruit, bread fruit, taro, sweet potato, mangoes, rambutans, longans and heaps and heaps more (I didn't get to taste everything as it wasn't all in season, some of the things I tasted I can't remember the name of). His friends on the ridge also had plenty of different fruits (including chocolate pudding fruit). It was amazing. It was like the garden of Eden, beautiful ulysses butterflies floating above us, everything seemed edible. So peaceful (apart from the time a small black ant dropped from the tree above me, into my eye and bit me on the inside of my eyelid, up until the point that it drowned in my tears)

My uncle has a very cool house that he had designed for the tropics - open plan, giant veranda, beautiful wood from the property used in the kitchen and everywhere, high ceilings. We ate mostly outside on the veranda, red wine, fine cheese, fresh air, and beautiful views.

Keeping busy with wine and cheese


The view

We shared the house with some beautiful white lipped frogs. I loved them. They were on the louvres in the bedroom, in the shower, on the bbq. But even though they seemed friendly, kissing them did not turn them to princes.

Frogs are so cute..


...but they never became a prince

Excitingly we went white water rafting. My pictures are pretty calm as they were the only times I could whip out my camera and take a picture being somewhat busy during the rough times "getting down" "go left" "go right" "Hold on" sometimes I think Fish (our guide) was just messing with us.. However it was a beautiful ride through some lovely country side, we stopped for lunch, where there were lots of fishes swimming in the water (big very edible looking fish). Then we kept going. We saw "Native" marijuana growing along the side of the river (I guess it escaped the plantation), we saw beautiful waterfalls and had a fantastic time. It got a little bit stressful for the girl who has a fear of drowning (another person on the boat) when my uncle and the guide started discussing the guide who drowned a few years ago at the spot we were rafting.... But all in all a good trip!


a peaceful piece of river

fishies!

white water

waterfall


The trip back was good too, but I've run out of time to write! We stopped at Bowen and said hello to my dad. Went to Mackay and ate a yummy dinner with Floss, Jimmy and Isaac, then we hurried home stopping every few hours for a coffee.