Coastwise

Wednesday 12 October

Emerald - Mackay

A good start to the day - egg, bacon and toast delivered to the door at 0730!  An earlier departure today; 0830, a temperature of 24℃ and bright blue sky with not a cloud to be seen.  The countryside was interesting crossing the Peak Range.  I rode around a striking hill in the shape of a shark’s tooth which had been named “Wolfgang” (The explorer Ludwig Leichhardt first discovered Wolfgang Peak in 1845 and named the individual peaks in the national park after members of his party or sponsors.)

I then entered mining country and saw some enormous opencast sites.  If the hills produced by the waste was anything to go by the holes were massive.  They are well protected and it is impossible to get close enough to take decent photographs. 

I was speaking to a mine worker a few days later and he told me that some of the mines are in excess of 100 kilometres in length.  I had frequent stops today as my bottom was a little sore.  I have a Royal Enfield ‘comfort’ seat, an Airhawk inflatable pad and a sheepskin cover - it should be armchair comfortable!  Finally the weather and ground were conducive to campng and I arrived at a site recommended by the tourist information office.  It was ostensibly a small caravan park with over half the occupants long term residents but for $25 (about £13) I was allocated a small patch of grass at the rear entrance under a street light.  Mine was the only tent on site and it suited me.

397kms travelled.

Thursday 13 October

Mackay - Airlie Beach

I left Mackay at 0815 having taken some time to break camp and packup thanks to the woman from the adjacent caravan and an elederly Dutch man who engaged me in lengthy conversation.  A short while after leaving Mackay I spotted the Leap Hotel with a figurine of a black guy outside which I remembered from our trip in 2009.  I stopped at a roadside cafe which was inundated with press - a local politician had been hosting a breakfast there.  The majority of guests appeared to be country folk juding by their jeans, checked shirts etc.  My intention was to drop into Airlie Beach for old times sake but on arrival I decided to stay for a couple of nights in the XBase campsite.  It was populated largely by youngsters/backpackers the majority of whom were housed in dormitories.  Vehicles were not permitted to park in the tent camping area so as I explained that I needed to have the bike adjacent to my tent I was allowed to pitch it in a fairly secluded area among several camper vans and trailer tents.

  The site is in a very convenient central location and I went for a long walk in the afternoon.

  The best part of the day, though, was receiving news of the safe arrival of granddaughter Maisie, daughter of James and Alice.  It was so good to hear that her second name is Sophie in memory of the Ben’s first daughter who died of leukemia soon after birth some years ago.  Clearly had to go and wet the baby’s head.

151kms travelled.

Friday 14 October

Airlie Beach

I discovered that most of Airlie Beach had been without wifi internet connection for several days.  Apparently businesses were spending a fortune having to work using 4G.  I was told that McDonalds did have connectivity so went there for breakfast. Although there was some signal it was very patchy.  (The lamp post on the pavement is, I believe, the one that my daughter walked into in 2009 when deep in conversation with us.)

When did I become so obsessed with having access to the internet????  Being surrounded by electronic devices which all need charging I decided that I should carry a powerbank.  I did leave a small one in Wagga!  It’s camping without electrical hookup that persuaded me of the need.  I caught a bus to the nearest shopping centre at Cannondale, 3 or 4 kms along the coast.  Having purchased one I noticed a Government Services Centre so popped in to enquire about my Medicare card (proves entitlement to free health care, a reciprocal arragement with the UK) which I had applied for online and had received acknowledgement on 14 September.  A very helpful youg lady got on my case.  It appears that Canberra had written to me at the Wagga address on 23 September (not received) asking for a copy of my European Health Card.  Seems that particular Civil Servant was unaware that the UK is no longer part of the EU!  Anyway, young Theresa got it sorted and then explained how to register etc on the Medicare app which I did using the centre’s internet access.  I asked the shopkeeper from whom I purchased the powerbank if there was a waterside walk back to Airlie Beach and he gave me directions which I followed.  Wrong!  There is no such walk.  But I did discover a lovely little restaurant on the beach which served a lovely Thai salad.

I started walking back along the road and as I reached the bottom of a steep hill I noticed a young lad taking a left turn in front of me.  I struggled down the other side of the hill on the inside of the Armco and as I reached the bottom I spotted said young man.  I called out to him and he said that I could get to Airlie Beach from there by shoreside footpath.  He was walking to work in Airlie Beach because his motorcycle had broken down.  As I started off I noticed that he had taken to the road.  I shouted to him and he explained that it was quicker than the footpath from there! 

I spent some time watching sailing activity in the bay.  In the evening it was back to Magnums for a couple of beers and then had a poor curry.  Ate too much today!

Saturday 15 October

Airlie Beach - Townsville

I was up at 0600 to break camp before it became too hot.  I got chatting to the bloke at the next pitch who I noticed was in a vehicle with what looked like some form of registration number, large and very prominant, on its side.  I had noticed many such notated vehicles particularly since leaving Emerald.  It appears that they are connected to the mining industry and the purpose is to make them easy to identify and to communicate with by radio in the vast open cast mining environment.  He had borrowed the vehicle to tow his boat for a long weekend of fishing.  I eventually got underway at 0800ish and it was soon 32C.  The road was very pleasant cutting through sugar cane fields heading towards Bowan, made famous by the film ‘Australia’.  There used to be a ‘BOWAN’ sign on the hillside apeing that of Hollywood but that is no longer in evidence. I took a selfie in front of the Big Mango and had breakfast in the Bowen sailing club with a good view of the harbour.  (I binned the free beanie hat after seeing this selfie - looking inside I saw it was a child's size!)

I continued towards Townsville with frequent stops to hydrate.  At one rest area I was approached by a lady who offered me a coffee.  I declined but I got into conversation with her and her husband, Rhyl and Barry Graham, who were on their way back to Townsville in their campervan having attended a classic motorcycle race weekend in  Warwick.  I had passed through there at the time of the meeting but had seen no sign of it: had I done so I would have stopped over.   Apparently they had run a motorcycle dealership in Townsville for a number of years.  I explained that I had made arrangements with a motorcycle tyre shop in Townsville, Lockes, to fit more aggressive tyres.  Barry knew the owner, Lockie, well and said he was the best in town.  He said he would meet me after fitting the following Monday for a tour of the area.  I reached my booked accommodation at 1500 and noticed that the emailed self check in information omitted the number of my room although the door entry code was provided.  I messaged the owner and as I had the main door code I unloaded the bike and carried my kit into the reception area.  I met the owner, Steve, in the corridor and all was resolved including secure parking for the bike.  There was a supermarket next door so I bought some supplies for my weekend stay and took advantage of the strong internet connection to catch up with the family on FaceTime.  Townsville has a very attractive prominade, The Strand, and I had an early evening stroll before a beer in Molly Malone’s.

295kms travelled.

Sunday 16 October

Townsville

I started the day with laundry and then went to the weekly market in Flinders Street, the town’s main street which is closed for the event.  The market sells fruit and vegetables, has food stalls and numerous craft and handicraft stalls.  Really, there’s not a lot of point looking as when motorcycle touring there is limited carrying capacity. 

I visited the Museum of Tropical North Queensland where I spent two hours unhurriedly reading many descriptive plaques.  There is a most interesting exhibit featuring HMS PANDORA which sank in 1791 after hitting the Great Barrier Reef.  The ship had been despatched from Portsmouth in 1790 to capture the mutineers from the BOUNTY.  14 mutineers had been captured but not the ringleader, Fletcher Christian, who was on Pitcairn Isand, uncharted at that time.  I walked to the Magnetic Island ferry terminal in preparation for Tuesday’s trip and then along the Strand ending up in te Seaview Hotel sports bar where I watched the end of the Philip Island MotoGP and the boxing match between Devin Haney (USA) and George Kambosos (Australia) for the undisputed lighweight championship of the world.  Both were awesome contests and the cold beer went down well.  I dined in style with a microwave cottage pie and a tin of peas from the local supermarket.

Monday 17 October

Townsville

I arrived at Lockies at 0950 for the fitting of new tyres.  I had been told that he is not very punctual and he turned up just a few minutes later.  He appeared quite a character.  I guess he was in his late fifties/early sixties, he had a long grey beard, long grey hair tied in a pony tail, a head band, and he was wearing short sports shorts, a well used work shirt and flip flops.  He said it would take a while for him to get his workshop organised before fitting the new tyres, all this explained in the adjacent unit which was full of teddy bears and associated items which was apparently his wife’s business.  He directed me to an area where I could get coffee and I walked some way to get there.  Whilst there Barry phoned and arranged to collect me in his car.  He picked me up and we drove around town visiting the large motorcycle dealership where he had worked some time ago (all the staff greeted him warmly) and on to where his dealership/workshop used to be until the new owner burned it down in dubious circumstances.  We then visited the fellow, Bill, from whom he had bought the motorcycle business and was an old chum.  Bill had an enormous ‘shed’ which contained an large number of old bikes, both British and Japanese, and more lathes, drills, presses etc than you could shake a stick at.  I was regaled with old stories for three quarters of an hour and was thoroughly entertained.  Barry phoned Lockie who said that the tyre fitting was finished and asked to be paid in cash, not an unreasonable request particularly as the price for new tyres and tubes and fitting was far less than I was expecting.  (Perhaps having Barry along had an influence.)  He drove me to an ATM and then on to Lockie’s.  He recommended a ride to the top of Mount Stuart which overlooks Townsville and I thought it a good way to run in the new tyres.  The road to the top was narrow and twisty and most enjoyable to ride and it gave me the opportunity to get a feel for the way the new tyres handled. 

I had read about Armco modifications to take account of motorcyclists, i.e. to stop riders sliding under and into the stanchions.  The modifications were well in evidence on this popular biking road.

On return I had an early shower and on Kate and Paul’s recommendarion a most delicious steak dinner at the Seaview Hotel.

Tuesday 18 October

Townsville/Magnetic Island

I was up early to walk along the Strand to catch the 0845 ferry to Magnetic Island.  On arrival I hired a little scooter.  It was really odd riding such a light machine with such small wheels, very little power, both brakes on the handlebars and automatic transmission, but a very handy way to get about on such a small island.  I visited Picnic Bay (dead with nothing open), took a walk along the track to the WWII forts, and then on to Horseshoe Bay where I  enjoyed a beach walk and a lime soda. 

I stopped for lunch at the Arcadia Motel where we had stayed in 2009 and where we watched the cane toad racing.  After visiting the area where rock wallabies come down to be fed I returned the scooter and was back in Townsville by 1600 where I did more laundry and went for a goat curry.

Wednesday 19 October

Townsville - Mission Beach/Wongaling Beach

A slow start to the day as I had to reattach all my bags, tanks, luggage etc.  I had been advised to remove them as although I was parked in a secure location there was a problem with youth crime in Townsville.  I left at 0915 and stopped at an AMX (large Australian motorcycle accessories chain) because the zip on my tank bag was on the way out.  Although they had an identical bag in stock I opted for a slightly larger one, and it was cheaper.  I transferred everything from the old bag to the new and was on my way by 1030.  It was interesting riding with the Great Dividing Range close to one side amid vast sugar cane fields. 

As I was riding along a felt a bump as though I had hit a hidden pothole and sensed what felt like a tap on my helmet.  A car overtook me a short while later and the driver gesticulated to me.  We both stopped and he explained that he had seen something fall from the bike about a kilometere back.  I examined the bike and discovered that one of the straps securing the camping bag, and to which my Spot gps beacon was attached, was missing.  I turned around and after a short while I spotted the items lying in the middle of the road, fortunately in the gap between two solid white lines.  I was hoping that because of their position no vehicle had run over them, and the beacon in particular.  Miraculously the beacon was still working and the only damage was the absence of a little rubber cap covering the cable socket.  Most of the strap was wrapped around the back wheel between the hub and the brake disc.  Clearly, my neatly folded excess strapping had unravelled and become wrapped around the wheel and had parted.  I was very lucky to suffer no damage, or indeed the rear wheel locking. 

There were numerous geographical features signposted from the road and I ventured along a gravel road to the Jourama Falls, although I resisted the temptation to walk along a track to the falls themselves.  I relaxed by a creek and quiet pool instead.

  The hills form part of the Paluma Range and the Paluma Range National Park.  I noticed a number of signposts to Park falls etc which included camping and swimming.  I will investigate in future weather permitting.  I stopped at Cardwell, the scene of James’s last minute tan topup in 2009. 

I arrived at Dunk Island Caravan Park where I rented a comfortable small unit in view of the forecast rain.  I purchased supplies from a nearby supermarket as the site owner said the nearest place to eat was 7 kilometres away (totally wrong in the event) and that their kitchen closed at 1500.  I spent the late afternoon meandering along the beach - idylic.

262kms travelled